Nasa astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyayev landed some 150 kilometres southeast of the city of Zhezkazgan 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.
Communication was eventually established between the crew and an Antonov fixed-winged aircraft circling the landing site.
The landing was smooth in the area planned seconds before the expected arrival time.
Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, Nasa’s Michael Fossum, and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan remain on board the space station and are due to return on November 22.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks