A snowstorm in Kazakhstan's capital Astana and heavy fog forced all of the rescue party's helicopters, carrying US astronaut Edward Lu, Russia's Yuri Malenchenko and Spain's Pedro Duque, to land in the nearby town of Arkalyk, the AFP correspondent at the site reported.

However, doctors said the astronauts felt fine and required no more medical attention than could be provided on the ground after what NASA spokesman Rob Navias hailed as a "dream landing."

"The cosmonauts are in a good state and do not require any additional medical procedures," doctor Nikolai Filatov of Russia's cosmonaut training center said.

The three astronauts aboard Soyuz TMA-2 craft landed at 05:41 am Moscow time (0241 GMT) in a secluded spot some 35 kilometers (21 miles) south of the town of Arkalyk.

Malenchenko and Lu, who spent six months on board the International Space Station, were replaced last week by British-born American Michael Foale and Russian Alexander Kaleri.

Duque, who is the first Spaniard to board the ISS, spent 10 days aboard the station carrying out 24 experiments in the fields of life and physical sciences, Earth observation, education and technology.

SPACE.WIRE