The rocket carrying Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and NASA's Peggy Whitson thrust into a clear evening sky over the Kazakh steppe, its fiery engines emitting a thunderous roar as it set out on a two-day voyage to the orbiting station.

Ascending at huge speed, the Soyuz took just minutes to reach its initial orbit and, having shed its empty fuel tanks and an outer casing protecting the crew, was to spend two days reaching the International Space Station (ISS).

At a pre-launch news conference a member of the Baikonur ground crew jokingly presented Whitson with an ornate Kazakh riding whip "so that in the presence of men they understand that you're the commander."

Whitson, a 47-year-old biochemist, is to oversee major expansion of the ISS and the setting up of a new science laboratory known as Columbus for the European Space Agency.

Flourishing her new whip, Whitson said she hoped she wouldn't have to use it and went on to extol the benefits of space travel in breaking down cultural barriers.

"One of the special things about the view of the Earth from space is that it is one planet and that it is very beautiful. I think it is a good illustration of the fact that there don't need to be any wars."

After the launch, reserve astronaut Michael Fink, whose job was to take Whitson's place in case of mishap, paid tribute to her qualities and said the fact she was female played no role on the ISS.

"She's the commander of the space station and nobody cares that she's a girl. She is so good at what she does," said Fink after drinking a toast with other reserve crew members, a time-honoured tradition at Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome, which Moscow rents from Kazakhstan.

Muszaphar earlier said his trip, paid for by the Malaysian government, was a great step for his nation.

"I feel great. I just can't wait to go up, for the Malaysian people," he told AFP as he headed for the launch pad after being helped into his spacesuit.

He was to spend nine days on the ISS, arriving near the end of the holy month of Ramadan and staying there for the Eid festival, when he was to treat the long-term crew to festive Malaysian food.

He was to conduct experiments on behalf of Malaysia's Genome Institute, including tests on cancer cells, before heading back to Earth with current members of the long-term crew.

Malaysian officials were jubilant, saying the launch marked a milestone as Malaysia celebrates 50 years of independence.

The launch "has been a long time in the making ... We've been waiting for over two years and thinking about it day in and day out but it was all worth it," said a member of the Malaysian ground crew, aerospace engineer Shankini Doraisingam.

Muszaphar, a 35-year-old doctor who has spent a year training for the flight in Russia, is one of very few Muslims to have travelled to space.

He has said he will try to observe the fasting rules of Ramadan and when he gets back will share his experiences with other Muslims.

His parents recited prayers and were tearful as they watched the rocket carrying their son streak up into the sky.

"I was a little bit afraid. I'm happy for my country, happy for Russia, happy for America, happy for everyone," said his father, Sheikh Mustapha Shukor.

Malaysian religious authorities had prepared guidelines adapting religious rules to life on the ISS, which circles the Earth 16 times per calendar day, meaning that without special dispensation he would be obliged to pray 80 times in 24 hours.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the start of modern space travel, which dates from the Soviet Union's launch of the first ever satellite, Sputnik 1, from Baikonur on October 4, 1957.

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