NASA’s Artemis spacecraft has landed on the Moon.
The Orion capsule has swept 130 km (80 miles) above the lunar surface, and it will now begin to enter a wider orbit.
The vehicle was out of contact for 34 minutes during the manoeuvre, which began at 12:44 GMT, as it took place on the Moon’s far side.
When the signal returned, the spacecraft sent back an image of Earth. Nasa says the mission has “exceeded expectations” since launching last week.
NASA Flight Director Zebulon Scoville said: “This is one of those days that you’ve been thinking about and dreaming about for a long time.
“This morning, we just saw the Earth move behind the Moon as we take the next human-rated vehicle around the Moon, preparing to bring humans back there in a few years. This is a game-changer.”
The spacecraft zoomed over the landing sites of Apollo 11, 12 and 14 as it made the close approach.
The Artemis mission began on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the launch of the most powerful rocket Nasa has ever built.
It placed Orion on a path towards the Moon. The capsule has already sent back several selfies during its journey.
Because this is a test flight, no astronauts are on board this time – instead, three manikins, covered in thousands of sensors, are making the journey.
“Those sensors are getting an idea of whether the environment is going to be OK for people,” explained Nasa astronaut Zena Cardman.
“So there are things like radiation sensors, motion sensors, accelerometers – things that we as human payloads will care a lot about.”
And this is important because if this flight goes well, astronauts will join the next ride, first of all going into orbit around the Moon, before a third Artemis mission then takes the first woman and first person of colour down to the lunar surface.
The European Space Agency is also closely monitoring the spacecraft. It is built on the Orion Service Module, which provides power and propulsion for the journey.
ESA also has a passenger on board: Shaun the Sheep, the British stop-motion animation character. Shaun is tied up for the trip. Nasa’s mascot is Snoopy, who floats freely in the cockpit of the crew capsule.
After this close flyby, Orion will swing much further as it begins to orbit the Moon.
On November 26, it is expected to break the Apollo 13 distance record when it reaches 400,171 km (248,655 miles) from Earth.
Two days later, it will have travelled more than 430,000 km (270,000 miles) from our planet – the farthest a spacecraft built for humans has ever flown.
After that, the capsule will begin its journey back to the Moon and Earth with a scheduled dip in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.