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Artemis II ends its historic lunar journey

Orion faced intense heat, a communications blackout and a parachute descent before splashdown

Three parachutes deploy above a spacecraft as it splashes into the ocean.

The Orion spacecraft Integrity splashed into the Pacific Ocean at 8:07 p.m. after a journey of over 1.1 million kilometers.

NASA

By Lisa Grossman

Updated

Even when you’re one of the first people to go to the moon in half a century, there’s no place like home.