NASA announces rare ISS crew evacuation amid 'serious medical concern'
What's the story
NASA has announced an early return for its Crew-11 team from the International Space Station (ISS). The decision comes after a medical issue was reported by one of the four astronauts on board. This is the first time in ISS history that a trained crew will be de-orbited and returned to Earth before completing their full mission duration on the space station.
Mission details
Crew-11 team composition and mission timeline
The four-member Crew-11 team includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Russia's Oleg Platonov. They had docked at the ISS in August last year and were scheduled to return in May 2026. However, due to the sudden medical issue, NASA has decided to cut short their stay on the space station.
Health concern
Medical issue prompts spacewalk cancellation
On Thursday, NASA announced the cancellation of a planned spacewalk by the Crew-11 team due to a medical issue with one of the astronauts. Later in the day, during a late-night press briefing, they revealed their decision to end the mission early. "It is a serious medical condition but the astronaut is stable," said a NASA spokesperson.
Condition details
Medical issue not related to routine operations
Dr. James Polk, chief health and medical officer at NASA Headquarters, clarified that the current medical issue with one of the astronauts was neither an injury nor something that developed during routine operations at the ISS. "It developed due to the microgravity environment but I cannot divulge more details about the diagnosis," he said.
Ongoing surveillance
ISS teams under continuous monitoring
Polk emphasized that all routine medical tests and procedures will be followed once the crew returns to Earth. He also stressed that everyone experiences some medical issue while on Earth, and similar issues are common in space over a period of several months. The situation is being monitored by crew surgeons with no major shift proposed in routine activities for the astronaut facing this health concern.