The SpaceX capsule, whose crew was led by the billionaire Jared Isaacman, splashed down near the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday.

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Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore of NASA spoke from the International Space Station for the first time since their Boeing orbital transport returned to Earth uncrewed.

© NASA Video

NASA’s quest to return astronauts to the moon is tied to the success — and failure — of Boeing and its engineers.

The commercial company Space Pioneer said the accident occurred because of a structural failure in the connection between the rocket and its testing platform.

The Chang’e-6 mission’s sample, which might hold clues about the origins of the moon and Earth, is the latest achievement of China’s lunar exploration program.