--- title: NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission | TIME description: NASA picked a very good morning to return from the moon. It was 50 years ago today that the crew of Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus Littrow Valley on the lunar surface, where they planted the last of six flags Apollo crews would leave behind to mark their moments in history. Today, the space agency planted a new, if symbolic flag, when the Artemis 1 mission’s Orion crew capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 320 km (200 mi.) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, at 9:40 a.m. Pacific Time. The safe return marked the end of a 25-day lunar orbital mission, proving the flight-worthiness of the Orion spacecraft, which is expected to carry a crew of astronauts on a circumlunar journey during Artemis 2, in 2024. canonical: https://time.com/video/UIBKMvDy/ og:title: NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission og:description: NASA picked a very good morning to return from the moon. It was 50 years ago today that the crew of Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus Littrow Valley on the lunar surface, where they planted the last of six flags Apollo crews would leave behind to mark their moments in history. Today, the space agency planted a new, if symbolic flag, when the Artemis 1 mission’s Orion crew capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 320 km (200 mi.) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, at 9:40 a.m. Pacific Time. The safe return marked the end of a 25-day lunar orbital mission, proving the flight-worthiness of the Orion spacecraft, which is expected to carry a crew of astronauts on a circumlunar journey during Artemis 2, in 2024. og:url: https://time.com/video/UIBKMvDy/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UIBKMvDy/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission twitter:description: NASA picked a very good morning to return from the moon. It was 50 years ago today that the crew of Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus Littrow Valley on the lunar surface, where they planted the last of six flags Apollo crews would leave behind to mark their moments in history. Today, the space agency planted a new, if symbolic flag, when the Artemis 1 mission’s Orion crew capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 320 km (200 mi.) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, at 9:40 a.m. Pacific Time. The safe return marked the end of a 25-day lunar orbital mission, proving the flight-worthiness of the Orion spacecraft, which is expected to carry a crew of astronauts on a circumlunar journey during Artemis 2, in 2024. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UIBKMvDy/poster.jpg?width=720 --- * Science # NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission [Watch (HLS stream): NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UIBKMvDy.m3u8) (1:04)  _Published 2022-12-12. NASA picked a very good morning to return from the moon. It was 50 years ago today that the crew of Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus Littrow Valley on the lunar surface, where they planted the last of six flags Apollo crews would leave behind to mark their moments in history. Today, the space agency planted a new, if symbolic flag, when the Artemis 1 mission’s Orion crew capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 320 km (200 mi.) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, at 9:40 a.m. Pacific Time. The safe return marked the end of a 25-day lunar orbital mission, proving the flight-worthiness of the Orion spacecraft, which is expected to carry a crew of astronauts on a circumlunar journey during Artemis 2, in 2024._ --- Oct 12, 2023 9:20 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Watch Live: NASA Artemis II Crew Sets Distance Record With Lunar Flyby](/video/PsLox2KN/):30 ### Watch Live: NASA Artemis II Crew Sets Distance Record With Lunar Flyby [Watch Live: NASA Artemis II Crew Sets Distance Record With Lunar Flyby](/video/GgICHqCP/) ### Watch Live: NASA Artemis II Crew Sets Distance Record With Lunar Flyby [Watch Live: NASA's Artemis II Lunar Mission Launch](/video/oN6gp9Ja/):56 ### Watch Live: NASA's Artemis II Lunar Mission Launch --- ## Transcript 100000 ft. Now 25000 ft. And we're on Maine's. We have three fully inflated main shoots. Time to Splashdown 90 seconds. And there it is high over the Pacific. America's new Ticket to Ride To the Moon and Beyond now in view. Orion under it shoots descending toward Splashtown, Splashtown. 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. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"NASA's Orion Spacecraft Splashes Down in Triumphant End to Lunar Mission","description":"NASA picked a very good morning to return from the moon. It was 50 years ago today that the crew of Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus Littrow Valley on the lunar surface, where they planted the last of six flags Apollo crews would leave behind to mark their moments in history. Today, the space agency planted a new, if symbolic flag, when the Artemis 1 mission’s Orion crew capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 320 km (200 mi.) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, at 9:40 a.m. Pacific Time. 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