Artemis II crew splash down in Pacific Ocean after history-making Moon mission

(BBC) The Artemis II astronauts have safely returned to Earth, bringing their nine-day mission to a close.

The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just after 01:07 BST (20:07 EDT), with commander Reid Wiseman confirming his team is healthy .

"We're back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon," Nasa boss Jared Isaacman declared. "This is just the beginning."

The Artemis II crew successfully re-entered the atmosphere after a routine but nerve-wracking six-minute communications blackout.

Splashdown would've felt like a hard jolt, but it's the bobbing and lurching in the waves that can be the most disorienting, the UK's first astronaut recalls

On 6 April, the spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth - 406,771km (252,756 miles) - during the lunar flyby, breaking the previous record for the furthest humans have ever travelled into space.