NASA to bring Crew-11 home early after astronaut medical issue

NASA announced that the four astronauts of Crew-11 will return to Earth earlier than planned due to a serious but undisclosed medical issue affecting one crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Space Flight Now reports.

“Yesterday, January 7th, a single crew member on board the station experienced a medical situation and is now stable,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a news conference. “After discussions with Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. J.D. 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 (in late February).”

NASA emphasized that the situation does not constitute an emergency. “We expect to provide a further update within the next 48 hours as to the expected, anticipated undock and re-entry timeline,” Isaacman added.

In accordance with NASA’s strict medical privacy policies, officials did not identify the affected astronaut or disclose details of the condition. The Crew-11 team consists of commander Zena Cardman, veteran astronaut Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They launched to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on August 1 and were originally scheduled to return around February 20, after the arrival of Crew-12.

Earlier this week, NASA canceled a planned spacewalk involving Fincke and Cardman due to a “medical concern.” Dr. Polk confirmed that the astronaut was not injured and that the condition was unrelated to station operations or spacewalk preparations. “It’s mostly having a medical issue in the difficult area of microgravity and with the suite of hardware that we have at our disposal available to complete a diagnosis,” Polk said.

Isaacman noted that Crew-11’s early return marks the first time in US spaceflight history that a mission has been cut short for medical reasons. “We’re simply being as cautious as possible to ensure the health and well-being of the astronaut,” he said.

Crew-11 will follow standard return procedures, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. NASA flight surgeons and SpaceX recovery teams will be on standby. “It’s the first time we’ve done a controlled medical evacuation from the vehicle,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, calling the move a “controlled expedited return.”

Following Crew-11’s departure, NASA astronaut Chris Williams will remain aboard the ISS to manage US systems until Crew-12 launches on February 15. NASA said the early return is not expected to impact the upcoming Artemis 2 lunar mission.

By Vafa Guliyeva