CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA took a giant leap away from the spaceflight business Wednesday as a private company launched a spacecraft into orbit and for the first time guided it safely back to Earth, a feat previously achieved only by large national governments.

The capsule built by Space Exploration Technologies splashed down into the Pacific Ocean, right on target, following a three-hour mission that should pave the way for an actual flight to the International Space Station next summer.

NASA wants to enlist private companies to handle space station supply runs as well as astronaut rides after the shuttles stop flying next year. Until then, the space agency will have to continue paying tens of millions of dollars to the Russians for every American astronaut ferried back and forth.

Before Wednesday’s test flight, recovering a spacecraft re-entering from orbit was something achieved by only five independent nations: the United States, Russia, China, Japan and India, plus the European Space Agency, a consortium of countries.

NASA immediately offered up congratulations, as did astronauts, lawmakers and aerospace organizations and companies.

“I’m sort of in semi-shock,” said the company’s CEO, Elon Musk. “It’s just mind-blowingly awesome. I apologize, and I wish I was more articulate, but it’s hard to be articulate when your mind’s blown — but in a very good way.”

Musk said his Falcon 9 rocket and the capsule named Dragon operated better than expected.