SAN DIEGO, April 11 -- The Nasa spacecraft carrying four astronauts splashed down as planned Friday off the California coast, capping the US space agency's successful crewed test mission around the Moon, the first such flyby in more than 50 years.

Mission commander Reid Wiseman reported that the crewmembers - himself along with Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen - were "stable" and "green."

"They're in great condition, that's what that means," said Rob Navias, the Nasa public affairs official who narrated their return on the agency's livestream.

Following a brief but nerve-wracking communications blackout during their high-stakes re-entry, Wiseman's voice triggered relief that the astronauts were well on their way back hom...