NASA will return 4 astronauts home early in 1st-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station
NASA has decided to bring the four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission home from the International Space Station early due to a medical issue experienced by a crewmember in orbit.
The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 on the International Space Station. Clockwise from top left are: NASA's Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Russia's Oleg Platonov and Japan's Kimiya Yui. (Image credit: NASA)
For the first time ever, astronauts will depart the International Space Station early due to a medical issue.
The agency announced on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 8) that it has decided to bring the four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission home from the International Space Station (ISS) ahead of schedule due to a medical issue experienced by a crewmember in orbit.
'"It is not an emergency de-orbit, even though we always retain that capability, and NASA and our partners train for that routinely," recently confirmed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters during a press conference on Thursday.
"The capability to diagnose and treat this properly does not live on the International Space Station," Isaacman added, explaining why he ultimately decided to speed up the departure timeline.
Crew-11 consists of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The quartet launched toward the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour on Aug. 1, 2025. They're already nearing the end of their planned six-month mission aboard the orbiting lab, a fact that perhaps made the evacuation call a bit easier.
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"We're always going to do the right thing for our astronauts, but it's recognizing it's the end of the Crew-11 mission right now. They've achieved almost all of their mission objectives," Isaacman said. "Crew-12 is going to launch in a matter of weeks anyway. This is an opportune time — when the vehicle is ready, when weather supports — to bring our crew home."
The departure timeline has not yet been worked out, but we should get an update about that in the next few days, he added.
The health issue arose on Wednesday (Jan. 7), when NASA announced that it was postponing a planned Jan. 8 spacewalk because of a "" involving an astronaut. That was to have been conducted by Cardman and Fincke.
