A spacecraft carrying four astronauts has successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California in the United States after completing a historic mission around the Moon.
The crew, comprising Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, spent about ten days orbiting the Moon before returning safely to Earth.
The spacecraft used parachutes to ensure a controlled landing in the ocean. Rescue teams retrieved the astronauts about two hours after splashdown and transported them to a medical facility for routine checks.
During the mission, the crew travelled approximately 252,799 miles (406,840 kilometers) from Earth, setting a new record for the farthest distance humans have travelled in space, surpassing the distance achieved during the Apollo 13 mission.
The mission was carried out using the Artemis II spacecraft, which reached speeds of up to 40,000 kilometers per hour on its journey to the Moon and about 39,000 kilometers per hour during re-entry.
The flight is part of preparations for a future mission expected around 2028, which aims to land astronauts on the Moon.
-NASA
