MOSCOW: A trio of space travelers safely returned to Earth on Thursday after a six-month mission on the International Space Station.

A Soyuz capsule carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, and Roscosmos Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner landed on the steppes of Kazakhstan southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan at 7:54 a.m. Thursday. After a medical checkup, the three will be taken by helicopters to Dzhezkazgan from where they will be flown home.

As part of additional precautions due to the coronavirus, members of the Russian rescue team meeting the crew were tested for the virus and the number of people involved in the recovery effort was limited.

Cassidy, Ivanishin and Vagner had lived on the station since April.

NASAs Kate Rubins and Roscosmos Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov arrived at the orbiting outpost a week ago for a six-month stay.