A Russian space capsule carrying an Italian, a Russian and an American hurtled safely home to Earth from the International Space Station today, landing softly on the marshy Central Asian steppes in the early-morning darkness.

A Russian rocket carrying two cosmonauts and an American astronaut to the international space station streaked into orbit today – another crew rotation in a Russian space vehicle filling in for US space shuttles.

A Russian spacecraft carrying a new crew docked smoothly with the international space station today, as US and Russian space officials on the ground argued over the conditions for future missions.

The capsule carrying the world's first paying space tourist has landed in the Kazak steppe.