ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN OR ONE GIANT SUM FOR A TYCOON

HOUSTON: The crew of amateur astronauts on board Elon Musk’s Spacex safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida on Saturday.

A rousing round of applause was heard from the control room as Inspiration4 parachutes were launched to slow down the Dragon capsule at 7.04pm.

Three minutes later, the ship hit the waters near Cape Canaveral at a slowed-down speed of 15 miles per hour. Boats rushed to the capsule to inspect the ship and hoist it onto a rescue vessel.

“On behalf of Space X, welcome home to planet Earth. Your mission has shown the world that space is for all of us, and that everyday people can make

extraordinary impacts on the world around them,” a dispatcher said.

The historic first-ever all-civilian space orbit spent three days circling the world.

The amateur astronauts on board — Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor — had only been training for several months.

The flight crew had been announced

in March.

Isaacman, 38, an accomplished jet pilot, commanded the mission after paying $200m for the privilege.

The billionaire donated two of the seats on the mission. The other went to Sembroski, who won a sweepstakes that raised $113m in St. Jude donations.

Space tourists Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Christopher Sembroski and Sian Proctor in orbit (main) and the ship’s landing (inset). Pictures: AFP Photo courtesy of Inspiration4