A Russian Soyuz capsule has landed safely in Kazakhstan, returning three International Space Station crew members to earth.

US astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev joined the ISS crew in April.

The returning crew's replacements were scheduled to arrive at the ISS on September 24, but all Russian launches have been delayed following the failure of a Soyuz rocket in August.