Space station crew return to Earth in Russian capsule

Safe and well ... from left: Akihiko Hoshide, Yuri Malenchenko and Sunita Williams. Photo: AP/NASA

Three astronauts have touched down on the snowy steppes of Kazakhstan in a flawless pre-dawn landing aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule after spending over four months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Russia's Yuri Malenchenko, Sunita Williams of the US and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan touched down as scheduled just before 2am GMT on Monday (1pm Monday AEDT), the Russian Space Flight Control Centre announced as the message "Landing Accomplished" was flashed on a giant screen.

The successful landing came after fears it could be postponed after workers in the Moscow region on Wednesday accidentally cut through a cable providing communications between Russia's mission control and the ISS.

Touchdown ... the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft shortly after it landed. Photo: AFP/NASA

The three landed an hour before sunrise a few kilometres from the target north-east of Arkalyk in central Kazakhstan, an official said on NASA TV which showed the landing.

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After stepping out of the capsule one by one, the three were placed side by side on a special seat and covered with a blue blanket to protect them from the cold and falling snow, with the outside temperature about minus 10 degrees Celsius.

They appeared in good shape, with the American and the Japanese astronauts smiling for the cameras and the officials who greeted them.

The Russian cosmonaut Malenchenko, 50, said the return to Earth had gone "admirably" well. Hehad just completed his fifth space mission, while the other two had been on their second mission.The team were then taken to a tent set up nearby to undergo medical tests.

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Space station crew return to Earth in Russian capsule