The unmanned capsule splashed down at approximately 11:42 a.m. ET in the Pacific Ocean, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) west of Baja California, and was picked up by waiting recovery ships.

Dragon will be hauled back to the Port of Los Angeles and then transported overland to a SpaceX processing facility in McGregor, Texas, where it will undergo a final inspection.

The landing caps an extremely successful nine-day mission that saw Dragon become the first commercial vehicle to visit the ISS—a feat previously performed by only a few governments.

"This really couldn't have gone better. I'm just overwhelmed with joy," SpaceX CEO and chief designer Elon Musk said during a press conference following Dragon's landing.

In fact, Musk seemed pleasantly surprised that