Soyuz capsule lands safely after ISS visit

The Soyuz TMA-7 capsule decoupled from the ISS and fired its rockets to begin the ascent to earth.

A Russian, Brazilian and US astronaut left the International Space Station early on Sunday in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and landed safely in Kazakhstan, a NASA spokesman said.

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Leaving a new two-person crew behind, the Soyuz TMA-7 capsule decoupled from the ISS and fired its rockets to begin the ascent to Earth. The landing took place in bad weather but without complications.

The crew now alone aboard the ISS is the 13th on the permanent space station.

American Commander Bill McArthur and Russian flight engineer, the 12th ISS crew, were back on Earth after six months on the ISS. The third Soyuz occupant, Marcos Pontes, was the first-ever Brazilian in space.