NASA successfully completes first-ever medical evacuation of the International Space Station

The four astronauts of the Crew-11 mission have returned to Earth after completing their journey from the International Space Station (ISS), where they were assigned to conduct research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the orbiting laboratory. The crew’s return came ahead of schedule due to the medical condition of one of the astronauts. At this time, the nature of the health issue and the affected crew member are unknown.

The astronauts are now undergoing the usual preliminary medical checks on board the spacecraft. In a few hours, they will be flown back to shore by helicopter and then taken to a hospital where the astronaut who experienced the medical issue can undergo further tests before returning to Houston, where the mission will officially end.

NASA explained that weather conditions were ideal for the spacecraft to splash down off the coast of California, near San Diego. The return flight, once undocking had taken place, lasted just under 11 hours, as planned, making contact with the Pacific at 3:42 a.m. ET. At 4:20 a.m., the Dragon capsule door opened and the astronauts took in their first breath of fresh air in 167 days.

The deorbiting maneuver began at 2:51 a.m., which meant 50 minutes of tension as the capsule reentered Earth’s atmosphere. For half an hour, the engines were activated to complete the maneuver before initiating the descent into the sea with the usual friction of the spacecraft against the atmosphere.

The crew members were evaluated by NASA’s chief medical officer as soon as they exited the capsule. “They are safe and in good spirits. The crew member of concern is doing fine” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at a press conference after the splashdown at 11 a.m. ET, in which he declared the mission a success. Isaacman did say that the astronaut had suffered a “serious situation,” although it did not constitute “an emergency.”

Shortly after 5:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, NASA and SpaceX undocked the Dragon spacecraft, the unit carrying the Crew 11 mission, from the Harmony module that serves as the internal connection to the ISS to begin operations to return to Earth. The broadcast showed the Dragon separating from the ISS while both vehicles were flying about 418 kilometers (260 miles) from Earth, with the capsule moving away from the complex and the crew already strapped into their suits.

“The homebound quartet — representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission — spent Tuesday packing cargo, reviewing return to Earth procedures, and transferring hardware aboard the International Space Station,” NASA wrote in the mission’s digital log.

The module is returning with NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov aboard SpaceX’s Dragon manned spacecraft. NASA and SpaceX will recover the Dragon spacecraft before the crew members return to their home agencies.

“Cardman will command the Dragon and Fincke will pilot it alongside mission specialists Yui and Platonov,” NASA explained in a statement.

Isaacman announced last week the early return of the expedition due to the illness of one of the astronauts. “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,” said the controversial tech mogul, a friend of Elon Musk and a private astronaut. The crew’s return from the mission was scheduled for March 2026.

The agency insists that this is not an emergency evacuation, but rather an early departure to expand diagnostic testing on the crew member. NASA reported on January 7 that technical teams were “monitoring a medical concern with a crew member that arose Wednesday afternoon aboard the orbital complex,” declining to provide further details on the affected crew member’s condition due to confidentiality, beyond stating that it was “stable.”

“Some of the crew have volunteered to participate in a series of experiments to address health challenges astronauts may face on deep space missions during NASA’s Artemis campaign and future human expeditions to Mars,” the U.S. space agency wrote when detailing the Crew-11 mission, which took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to complete its planned six-month mission, scheduled to end in the first week of February. It would then take a few weeks to prepare for the crew’s return, which NASA brought forward.

The Crew-11 return operation represents NASA’s 74th expedition. Commander Zena Cardman began the procedure to return to Earth on Tuesday with her colleagues. “Cardman began Tuesday with her departing crewmates and trained to use respirators during unlikely events such as an ammonia leak. Next, she transferred standard emergency gear from Dragon and stowed it inside the space station with assistance from NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams. Fincke and Yui partnered together and uninstalled science hardware from the station and loaded it inside Dragon,” the agency said in its blog.

“All four crew members, including Platonov, continued packing personal items, practiced Dragon deorbit procedures on a computer, and discussed their mission readiness with mission controllers on the ground. Three crew members will remain aboard the orbital outpost after Crew-11 leaves.”

This is the first medical evacuation from the International Space Station in its 25-year history, although NASA has sought to downplay the illness of one of the crew members. Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief medical officer, explained last week: “We have a very robust suite of medical hardware onboard the International Space Station, but we don’t have the complete amount of hardware that I would have in the emergency department, for example, to complete the workup of a patient. The medical incident was sufficient enough that we were concerned enough about the astronaut [and] we would like to complete that workup, and the best way to complete that workup is on the ground.”

Last Monday, the seven astronauts aboard the ISS made a broadcast to stage the change of command. All seven crew members appeared on camera, and none showed any symptoms of illness.

“Our timing of this departure is unexpected, but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other” Cardman said in statements reported by National Public Radio (NPR).

“First and foremost, we are all OK. Everyone on board is stable, safe, and well cared for,” Fincke wrote in a social media post, emphasizing that the early return to Earth was “the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet.”

Following the return of Crew-11, three astronauts remain at the International Space Station: American Christopher Williams and Russians Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev. The launch of the replacement for the evacuated crew, Crew-12, which will travel to the ISS in a SpaceX Dragon capsule, is scheduled for February 15.

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