The four astronauts returned safely after a record-setting flyby, during which they observed previously unseen portions of the Moon’s far side and witnessed a total solar eclipse. One by one, they exited their floating capsule after landing.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen reentered Earth’s atmosphere at speeds reaching Mach 33, similar to the intense velocities achieved during NASA’s Apollo missions. Their Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, completed the descent using autopilot.

As the capsule endured extreme heat during reentry, it was surrounded by plasma, causing a temporary communication blackout that heightened tension in Mission Control. Cheers erupted when contact was restored and again upon splashdown, where the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited them.