NASA announced plans Thursday to bring Crew-11 home from the International Space Station (ISS) ahead of schedule after a crew member experienced a medical issue, stressing the astronaut is stable, and the move is precautionary — not an emergency evacuation.
The early return marks an unusual but controlled move by NASA, timed to minimize disruption to space station operations.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the decision followed consultations with agency leadership and medical officials.
“In these endeavors, including the 25 years of continuous human presence on board the International Space Station, the health and the well-being of our astronauts is always and will be our highest priority,” he said. “Yesterday, Jan. 7, a single crew member on board the station experienced a medical situation and is now stable.
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“After discussions with Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. James Polk and leadership across the agency, I’ve come to the decision that it’s in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure within the coming days,” Isaacman continued. “The Dragon Endeavour spacecraft will depart the International Space Station with Commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke, Kimia Yui from JAXA and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos, and safely return them to Earth.”
Isaacman said the agency expects to provide an update within the next 48 hours on the anticipated undocking and reentry timeline.
Over the past five months, Crew-11 completed most of its mission objectives, supporting space station operations and conducting scientific research.
NASA said Crew-12 is scheduled to launch as soon as mid-February, with the agency evaluating whether an earlier launch is possible, while NASA astronaut Chris Williams will remain aboard the station to maintain an American presence and support ongoing operations.
Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said flight controllers and astronauts followed established procedures, calling the response a textbook example of NASA’s training for unexpected events.
“Every discussion over the last 24 hours as we’ve assessed the situation…crew safety has always remained our highest priority,” Kshatriya said. “We never take shortcuts. We never compromise when it comes to protecting our astronauts.”
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NASA’s chief medical officer said the decision was driven by limits on conducting a full diagnostic workup aboard the space station.
Dr. James Polk said the astronaut is stable but that diagnostic uncertainty in microgravity prompted NASA to err on the side of bringing the crew member back to Earth.
“Because the astronaut is absolutely stable, it’s not an emergent evacuation – We’re not, immediately disembarking and getting the astronaut down,” Polk said. “But it leaves that lingering risk and lingering question as to what that diagnosis is…and so always, we err on the side of the astronaut’s health and welfare.”
The announcement comes as Crew-11 members were scheduled to conduct a 6.5-hour spacewalk Thursday to install hardware outside the ISS.
Astronauts typically live aboard the ISS for stints of six to eight months and are equipped with basic medical equipment and medications in the event of an emergency.
The crew launched from Florida in August and had been scheduled to return to Earth in May.
Spacewalks are highly strenuous and involve months of training.
Last year, NASA canceled a planned spacewalk after an astronaut reportedly experienced “spacesuit discomfort.” In 2021, U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei’s spacewalk was called off due to a pinched nerve.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
