The four astronauts who flew in Nasa's Artemis II mission around the Moon have splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean after a flawless return.
The crew are now safely aboard a waiting ship and recovering from a nine-day voyage that took them further from Earth than any humans in history.
Their Orion spacecraft was travelling at more than 24,000mph (38,600km/h) when it hit the Earth's upper atmosphere, subjecting its heatshield to temperatures half as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Their safe return clears the way for the next stage of the Artemis programme, which aims to land humans on the lunar surface and eventually build a permanent base on the Moon.
The extreme heat meant the capsule, which the astronauts named Integrity, lost contact with mission control in Houston for six minutes during the descent. However, cheers erupted during the re-entry when Commander Reid Wiseman's voice was heard saying: Houston, Integrity here. We hear you loud and clear.
The crew's perfect splashdown was greeted with joy as they celebrated their successful mission aimed at contributing to humanity's presence on the lunar surface.
NASA’s Flight Director Rick Henfling expressed relief and confidence in the crew's safe return, noting the team effort of nearly 1,000 people that made the mission a success.
The Artemis program aims to ramp up Moon exploration and set the stage for human missions to Mars, with Artemis III slated for testing upcoming lunar landers by mid-2027, while the first Moon landing is targeted for 2028.
The achievements of Artemis II confirm that the mission hardware works as intended and that future manned missions to the Moon are entirely feasible.
