SpaceX safely returned four astronauts from the International Space Station on Sunday, making the first US crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot.

The Dragon capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, just before 3am.

It was an express trip home, lasting just 6 1/2 hours.

The astronauts, three American and one Japanese, flew back in the same capsule - named Resilience - in which they launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in November.

Their 167-day mission is the longest for astronauts launching from the U.S.

The previous record of 84 days was set by NASA’s final Skylab station crew in 1974.

Once aboard the SpaceX recovery ship, the astronauts planned to hop on a helicopter for the short flight to shore, then catch a plane straight to Houston for a reunion with their families.

In response, SpaceX representatives say the company believes it is ready for private astronaut missions.