Splashdown confirmed. NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully completed a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California at 12:40 p.m. EST (17:40 UTC) on Dec. 11, bringing the #Artemis I mission’s 25.5 day journey around the Moon to a close. Artemis I was the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems — the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket, and the supporting ground systems — and the first in a series of increasingly complex missions at the Moon. Through #Artemis missions, NASA will establish a long-term lunar presence for scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars. Following Orion’s successful splashdown, recovery personnel spent time collecting detailed imagery of the spacecraft before beginning to pull the capsule into the USS Portland’s well deck. The ship will soon begin its trip back to USNavy Base San Diego, where engineers will remove Orion from the ship in preparation for transport back to NASAKenne...