The U.S. space agency says a Soyuz capsule carrying astronauts from the United States and Russia has landed safely in northern Kazakhstan.

Agency spokesman Rob Navias said parachutes slowed the craft before it touched down at 5:24 p.m. local time (1124 GMT) Thursday in Kazakhstan's northern steppes.

A NASA webcast said winds blew the Russian capsule carrying NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian Maxim Surayev onto its side.

Several Russian Mi-8 helicopters hovered above the designated landing site in the minutes before touchdown.

The astronauts spent more than five months on the international space station. They are to be brought to Moscow on Thursday evening.