They’re back — and safe. Hooray!

The Crew Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley splashed safely down near Pensacola, Fla., on Sunday (take that, Tropical Storm Isaisis) in a history-making journey that could help usher in a new era in US space exploration.

It was the first US manned mission ever in an orbit-capable craft built by a private company, Elon Musk’s SpaceX — and the first American launch of humans into orbit in nearly a decade.

It was also the first NASA water landing since 1975, when NASA astronauts Tom Stafford, Vance Brand and Deke Slayton wrapped up the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, splashing down in the Pacific.

The Crew Dragon, which launched atop a re-usable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, took 64 days, from start to finish, including a stay at the International Space Station.

“It’s hard to put into words just what it was like to be a part of this expedition,” gushed Hurley after his return. “It’ll be kind of a memory that will last a lifetime.”

The SpaceX flight was part of a NASA initiative to hand off some of its work to private enterprise. And it’s truly good news that it went so well; many see the efforts — and new technology — as a launching pad to reinvigorate the American space program. Here’s hoping.

Meanwhile, welcome home, guys.