Three ISS crew return to Earth in Russian capsule

MOSCOW: A Russian cosmonaut and two astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) touched down early Monday on the steppes of Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz capsule, the Russian Space Flight Control Centre announced.

Images transmitted by NASA showed a message flashed on the screens of the centre: "Landing Accomplished."

Russia's Yury Malenchenko, Sunita Williams of the US and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan touched down as scheduled just before 0200 GMT after having spent over four months on the ISS. (AFP)