The NASA spacecraft that carried four astronauts around the Moon splashed down as planned Friday into the Pacific Ocean.

NASA recently launched its Artemis II mission, marking the first crewed voyage beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The agency has described Artemis II as “the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years”.

First crewed lunar journey since 1972

Weather appeared favorable as fueling operations got underway Sunday night.