Three members of the International Space Station crew are making preparations for their return to Earth on a Russian spacecraft, Russian Mission Control said on Monday.

The Soyuz TMA-15 is scheduled to undock from the orbiter at 6:56 a.m. Moscow time (03:56 GMT) on Tuesday with Belgian Frank De Winne, Russian Roman Romanenko and Canadian Robert Thirsk on board.

The spacecraft's reentry vehicle is due to land near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan at about 10:16 a.m. Moscow time (07:16 GMT), Mission Control said.

De Winne, 48, the first European commander of the ISS, has already transferred authority to NASA astronaut Jeffrey Williams, and Russian cosmonaut Romanenko officially handed over his duties in the Russian segment of the world's sole orbiter to Maxim Surayev.

Williams and Surayev will work together on the ISS as members of the 22nd long-term expedition until they are joined by Oleg Kotov, Soichi Noguchi and T.J. Creamer, who are scheduled for launch from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on board the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft on December 21.

MOSCOW, November 30 (RIA Novosti)