NASA’s Orion successfully returns to earth after historic moon mission

NASA’s Orion space capsule splashed down safely in the Pacific on Sunday, completing the Artemis 1 mission – a more than 25-day journey around the Moon.

After racing through the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 kilometers per hour, the un-crewed capsule floated down to the sea with the help of three large red and orange parachutes, as seen on NASA TV.

“NASA had a picture-perfect splashdown,” said Melissa Jones, NASA’s landing and recovery director.

During the trip around Earth’s orbiting satellite and back, Orion logged well over a million miles and went farther from Earth than any previous habitable spacecraft.

“For years, thousands of individuals have poured themselves into this mission, which is inspiring the world to work together to reach untouched cosmic shores,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

“Today is a huge win for NASA, the United States, our international partners, and all of humanity,” he added.

After touchdown, helicopters flew over the floating spacecraft, which showed no evidence of damage.

Orion will be recovered by a prepositioned US Navy ship off the coast of Mexico’s Baja California after some initial tests are run.

Achieving success in this mission was key for NASA, which has invested tens of billions of dollars in the Artemis program in the hope of taking people back to the Moon.