Three astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) have returned to Earth, after the loss of a spacecraft delayed an earlier return attempt.

The trio handed control of the ISS over to Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, after nearly 200 days in space.

Among them is Italian Samantha Cristoforetti, who has set the record for the most time in space on a single mission by a female astronaut.

Their Soyuz spacecraft landed safely on Thursday in the steppes of Kazakhstan.

“It was a textbook homecoming for the Expedition 43 crew,” said a NASA presenter after the landing.