VIDEO: NASA astronaut returns to earth after record-breaking year in orbit

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has landed back on Earth after spending nearly a year on the International Space Station.

The 52-year-old and two Russian cosmonauts touched down in Kazakhstan after a three-hour flight from the ISS.

It was a textbook landing for Kelly and his crew, with the Soyuz spacecraft landing vertically as planned at approximately 11.25pm EST.

Kelly was seen clambering out of the capsule with the help of search and rescue teams and punched the air as he breathed fresh air for the first time since early 2015.