Photos: SpaceX capsule splashes down in Gulf of Mexico

Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.

It was the first water landing for a US spacecraft since the Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975.

Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arrived back on Earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule named Endeavour, less than a day after departing the International Space Station and two months after blasting off from Florida.

The capsule parachuted into the calm gulf waters about 40 miles off the coast of Pensacola, hundreds of miles from Tropical Storm Isaias pounding Florida's Atlantic coast.

Within a half-hour of splashdown, the scorched and blistered 15-foot capsule was hoisted aboard a SpaceX recovery ship with a staff of more than 40, including doctors and nurses.

The opening of the hatch was held up briefly by extra checks for toxic rocket fumes outside the capsule.

After medical checkups, the astronauts were flown by helicopter to Pensacola and then to Houston.

Pilot Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts on board, said: "It's truly our honor and privilege" as radio communications became choppy and cut out.

The SpaceX capsule is lifted onto a ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

Support teams and curious recreational boaters arrive at the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft shortly after it landed.

The SpaceX capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico.