NASA officials said they plan to bring the crew aboard the International Space Station home early due to what the space agency called a "medical concern" with an unidentified crew member.
They said the astronaut's condition is stable and it is not an emergency evacuation, but they want to err on the side of caution and bring them home for additional testing. Crew 11 is expected to depart on the Crew Dragon Endeavour and return to Earth in the next few days. NASA officials said this is the first controlled medical evacuation in the space station's 25-year history.
The agency stressed Thursday that in the event of an emergency de-orbit, it would have the ability to bring astronauts home within a matter of hours.
The announcement Thursday evening came after NASA scrapped a planned spacewalk earlier in the day.
NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. James D. Polk said the ISS is equipped with a "robust suite of medical hardware," but it is lacking all the tools that would be needed for a more "complete workup" of a patient. He said the medical issue rose to the level where NASA would prefer to "complete that workup on the ground."
NASA previously said it was looking into "all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew 11's mission." NASA did not specify a timetable for when a new crew would ascend to the ISS but said it was looking into possible earlier dates to launch Crew 12 to the space station.
NASA said it would not be identifying the astronaut in question or giving further details on the medical issue, but earlier said "the matter involved a single crew member who is stable."
Currently aboard the ISS are commander Mike Fincke, flight engineer Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
The crew was scheduled to remain aboard the ISS until mid-February.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Latest details after ICE officer kills woman in Minneapolis shooting
Video shows moments before ICE officer fatally shoots Renee Good in Minneapolis
Protesters gather after ICE shoots and kills woman in Minneapolis
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Shrewd Home Gadgets to Save Energy - 2Step by step instructions to Pick A Keep money with High Fixed Store Loan costs
- 3Step by step instructions to Pick the Ideal Authorize Internet Advertising Degree Program
- 4Why Cannes Is the Ultimate New Year’s Eve Destination in the South of France’s Off-Season
- 5Opening Your True capacity: 12 Techniques for Personal growth
- James Webb Space Telescope discovers a lemon-shaped exoplanet unlike anything seen before: 'What the heck is this?'
- As tetanus vaccination rates decline, doctors worry about rising case numbers
- Vote in favor of Your #1 Climbing boots Now
- Holiday weather forecast: Where travelers can expect a wintry mix, flooding and record warmth across the U.S.
- Far-right AfD invited back to Munich Security Conference in 2026
- Manual for Individual accounting Rudiments for Fledglings
- The most effective method to Pick the Right Old Consideration Administration: Key Contemplations
- 10 times the sky amazed us in 2025
- We may have one thing in common with jellyfish, new research finds
