The first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years ended with a safe return to Earth on Friday, after NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast and brought four astronauts home from a mission that pushed human spaceflight beyond its old limits.
NASA said Orion landed on schedule at 5:07pm local time on April 10 after a high-speed return through the atmosphere. Recovery teams moved in after splashdown and took the crew aboard the USS John P. Murtha for medical checks before their return to Houston.