Yahoo TV

STORY: NASA’s Orion capsule barreled through Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific ocean on Sunday…

capping the inaugural mission of the U.S. Agency’s new Artemis lunar program – 50 years to the day after Apollo’s final moon landing.

NASA COMMENTATOR ROB NAVIAS: "From Tranquility Base to Taurus-Littrow to the tranquil waters of the Pacific, the latest chapter of NASA's journey to the moon comes to a close. Orion, back on Earth."

The splashdown capped a 25-day mission less than a week after passing about 79 miles above the moon in a lunar fly-by…

The gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule carried a simulated crew of three mannequins wired with sensors.

It plunked down in the ocean off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, demonstrating a high-stakes homecoming before flying its first crew of astronauts around the moon – which could come as early as 2024.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson:

"We are adventurers, We are explorers, we always have a frontier, And that frontier is to continue exploring the heavens."

Re-entry marked the single most critical phase of Orion’s journey, testing whether its newly designed heat shield can withstand atmospheric friction and safely protect the astronauts that would be on board.

The Artemis program is aimed at returning astronauts to the lunar surface this decade and establishing a sustainable base there as a steppingstone to future human exploration of Mars.

It also marks a major turning point for NASA, redirecting its human spaceflight program beyond low-Earth orbit after decades focused on space shuttles and the International Space Station.