NASA’s Artemis I mission returns from the moon, Orion capsule splashes down

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Orion capsule is back from the moon.

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The capsule made a blisteringly fast return Sunday, parachuting into the Pacific Ocean off Mexico to conclude a dramatic 25-day test flight.

Read: SpaceX successfully launches private mission to the moon Sunday morning

The mission should clear the way for astronauts on the program’s next lunar flyby, set for 2024.

Read: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center

A Navy ship quickly moved in to recover the spacecraft and its silent occupants: three test dummies.

Read: NASA’s Artemis I moon mission begins journey home to Earth

It launched on NASA’s new mega moon rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first flight of NASA’s new Artemis moon program.

Astronauts last landed on the moon 50 years ago Sunday.

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