Space capsule lands safely

RUSSIAN Soyuz capsule carrying three returning astronauts from the International Space Station touched down safely yesterday in the central steppes of Kazakhstan — but not without rattling nerves after a breakdown in communications.

Nasa astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyayev landed safely after 164 days in space.

Repeated calls to the Soyuz TMA-21 capsule from Mission Control in Korolyov, outside Moscow, went unanswered for several minutes, well after the craft had de-orbited.