Tim Peake won't be coming back down to earth just yet; the British astronaut has had his stay in space extended by almost a fortnight.

The Briton has been on the International Space Station (ISS) since December and was due to return to Earth on June 5, but now won't be home until June 18.

Mission controllers are keeping him and his fellow ISS companions, American Tim Kopra and Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko, aboard the space station as they await a changeover crew to ensure it's fully manned by six astronauts for as long as possible. The replacement crew won't take off from Earth until June 21.

Major Peake, who has been keeping the world below up-to-date with life in space with regular Twitter posts, including a recent picture of a smoking Mount Etna, said: "Although I am looking forward to being back on Earth and seeing friends and family again, each day spent living in space is a huge privilege and there is much work to do on the station.

"This extension will keep the station at a full crew of six for several days longer, enabling us to accomplish more scientific research.

"And, of course, I get to enjoy the beautiful view of planet Earth for a little while longer."

Tweeting his excitement on Saturday, he added: "I get to stay an extra few days in space. Looking forward to being back, but loving it here and a lot more to do!"

In January, Peake became the first Briton to walk in space and last week ran the London Marathon on an on-board treadmill.

In another first, Peake also remotely controlled a rover robot back on Earth from space. He piloted an explorer from ISS, nicknamed 'Bridget', through a Mars-like rocky landscape at a hangar at Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage.

The pioneering experiment gave valuable feedback for scientists ahead of an expedition in 2018 which will see a rover land on the surface of the red planet.