NASA will bring four astronauts home from the International Space Station days earlier than planned after one crew member experienced a medical issue that requires further testing.
In a news conference Thursday evening, agency leaders said the astronaut is “absolutely stable” but needs a full diagnostic workup that can’t be done in the lab orbiting 250 miles above the planet. The return from space marks the first controlled medical evacuation from the station in its 25 years of continuous operations, highlighting the rarity of the situation and the limits of treating complex health problems away from Earth.
New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said ending the mission a little early is in the best interest of Crew-11. The astronauts — Commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov — will ride SpaceX‘s Dragon Endeavour capsule back to Earth within days.
Once Dragon departs, American astronaut Chris Williams, who arrived on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in November, will be the only U.S. crew member left. Russian colleagues will help Williams manage systems and experiments until Crew‑12‘s flight launches, potentially as soon as mid‑February.
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