Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have returned to Earth after a two-month stay on the space station, the BBC reports.
The crew’s SpaceX Dragon Capsule splashed down just south of Pensacola on Florida’s Gulf coast.
The successful end to the crew’s mission initiates a new era for the American space agency.
All its human transport needs just above the Earth will in future be purchased from private companies, such as SpaceX.
The government agency says contacting out to service providers in this way will save it billions of dollars that can be diverted to getting astronauts to the Moon and Mars.
Hurley’s and Behnken’s capsule touched the water shortly after 14:45 EDT (19:45 BST; 18:45 GMT).
The astronauts’ Dragon capsule launched to the space station at the end of May on a Falcon 9 rocket, also supplied by SpaceX.
