Orion capsule lands in the Pacific: 4 astronauts reach Earth in NASA's historic mission

The Orion space capsule, carrying four astronauts who served as part of Artemis II—NASA's first crewed mission around the Moon since 1972—has completed its return to Earth.

The capsule landed in the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, USA.

The mission, during which the astronauts orbited the Moon, lasted a total of nine days, one hour, and 32 minutes. It was reported that the landing, which proceeded according to the planned scenario, occurred without any issues and that the crew is in good health. NASA described the landing as a "textbook landing in every sense."

Following contact with the ocean, five airbags were deployed to keep the capsule balanced on the water. The vehicle was allowed to cool sufficiently before the hatch was opened. In a statement made from space, Victor Glover expressed that he had been thinking about the return to Earth since he was assigned to the mission on April 3, 2023. Stating that he had not yet fully processed the experience, Glover described "passing through the atmosphere inside a fireball" as extremely impressive.