NASA is performing an unprecedented medical evacuation from the ISS
One of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station is undergoing a “medical situation”, forcing NASA to bring the crew home early for the first time ever
Space
One of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station is undergoing a “medical situation”, forcing NASA to bring the crew home early for the first time ever
By Leah Crane
9 January 2026
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The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station
SpaceX
For the first time, astronauts are being evacuated from the International Space Station (ISS) for medical reasons. The exact nature of the “medical situation” has not been identified for privacy reasons, nor has the astronaut it has affected. But four of the seven crew members on board the ISS are coming home early.
The astronauts returning to Earth are the members of the Crew-11 mission, which launched on 1 August and was originally planned to return in late February. In an 8 January press conference, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said that the decision to return the astronauts early was made in part because the mission objectives are nearly all complete, so ending the mission early is not as big of a deal.