Sri Lanka, April 11 -- The Artemis II astronauts have safely returned to Earth, bringing their historic nine-day mission to a close.

The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 01:07 BST (20:07 EDT), with commander Reid Wiseman confirming his team is healthy - here's what happens next.

"This is the start of a new era of human space exploration," Nasa says, after the crew's return.

The four astronauts are "feeling great", a medical officer confirms, before they are airlifted back to a US navy ship for further checks.

The Artemis II crew successfully re-entered the atmosphere after a routine but nerve-wracking six-minute communications blackout.

On 6 April, the spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth - 406,771km (252,756...