British ISS astronaut Tim Peake reveals blast-off playlist music includes U2, Queen and Coldplay

British astronaut Tim Peake has revealed details of the music playlist that will soundtrack his forthcoming six-month stay on the International Space Station. Obvious choices such as Elton John's Rocket Man or David Bowie's Space Oddity have been omitted in favour of contemporary tracks by the likes of Muse, Nickelback and Foo Fighters.

Peake said that he has already selected the three songs he'll be listening to as he makes the final checks to his Kazakhstan-built Soyuz rocket before Tuesday's launch. He opted for Queen's Don't Stop Me Now, U2's Beautiful Day and Coldplay's A Sky Full of Stars.

"I love Queen and I think that [song] has just got so much energy and obviously fun lyrics to go with it," the astronaut told the Sunday Times. He has previously stated that in order to hear the music as it is piped into his cockpit, it will need to be "real loud".

Peake's 117-song playlist is packed with feel-good songs, many of which have a space or flying theme. Although he'll be able to communicate with Earth while on the International Space Station, the soundtrack is expected to make-up a major form of entertainment over the six month period.

Among the tracks that make up the astronaut's so-called "rocket list" are I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas and Sunday Morning by Maroon5. The 43-year-old will no doubt be left wishing he'd added a few more songs to his playlist, however, as it's possible he'll have got through the entire 117-song strong selection during the six-hour journey from Baikonor cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.

While some may question Peake's decision to venture into space to the sounds of U2 and Counting Crows, his selection does have support from one of his favourite bands. Earlier this week Coldplay tweeted a cut and paste collage depicting an astronaut flying through space accompanied by a message wishing the father-of-two luck on his trip.

All being well, Peake's rocket is expected to launch at 11.03am on Tuesday accompanied by veteran Russian commander Yuri Malenchenko and American Tim Kopra. He will become the first Briton ever to set foot on the International Space Station when he arrives approximately six hours later having spent much of the journey travelling in excess of 17,500mph.

Peake will then spend the next six months on board the space station, which orbits Earth at an altitude of 225 miles, according to the Daily Mail. He will participate in 265 experiments during that time, as well as carry out routine maintenance tasks to ensure the station's communication, power networks and 15-year-old suction toilets are in perfect working condition.

The playlist is not the only earth object Peake will be taking into space, however. He has revealed that he is planning to take two watches into orbit with him, which he will then give to his young sons Thomas, six, and Oliver, four, when they turn 18.

He also plans to take a signed copy of Road to the Stars – the book written by the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. The book was given to Peake by Helen Sharman, who became the first Briton in space when she visited the Mir space station in 1991.

Peake's playlist won't be the only form of entertainment on board the International Space Station during the six-month trip, however. Earlier this week Peake revealed that a projector and screen has been set up on board and that the hotly anticipated new Star Wars film The Force Awakens will be waiting for them when they arrive. "What a place to watch it!," Peake tweeted.