NASA orders early return of Crew-11 after onboard medical issue; astronauts stable, Pacific splashdown planned
Following a medical incident aboard the ISS, NASA is returning Crew-11 early. The astronauts are stable and will undock this week for a Pacific splashdown.
Overview
Crew-11 includes commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov; one crewmember reported a medical issue prompting the early return.
Undocking is planned around 5 p.m. EST Wednesday; Crew Dragon braking rockets will fire at 2:50 a.m. Thursday, with splashdown off Southern California about 3:40 a.m.
NASA withheld the affected astronaut’s identity and diagnosis for privacy. Chief medical officer Dr. James Polk said the astronaut is stable and officials are “erring on the side of caution.”
Commander Mike Fincke posted that the crew is “stable, safe and well cared for,” called the early return “bittersweet,” and noted plans for a Monday handover of command.
After Crew-11 leaves, three crewmembers will remain aboard the ISS, limiting U.S. operations and spacewalks until Crew-12’s expected arrival, which NASA may move up from Feb. 15.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources collectively frame the story around institutional reassurance and precaution: coverage foregrounds NASA’s stability messaging, the decision’s novelty as a first-in-history action, and operational impacts, while omitting medical specifics. Editorial choices prioritize agency officials and crew statements to normalize the response and downplay panic, with occasional headline language that increases urgency.
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FAQ
NASA calls this a “controlled medical evacuation” because, while the astronaut is stable, doctors judge that better diagnostics and treatment are available on Earth than in microgravity, and the station cannot support caring for a sick crewmember for an extended period beyond a few days.
According to NASA officials and spaceflight historians, this is the first time in U.S. space history—and the first time in the ISS’s 25 years of continuous operations—that a mission has been cut short and a crew effectively evacuated from orbit due to a medical problem.
NASA has not identified the affected astronaut or disclosed the diagnosis, citing strict medical privacy rules, but has confirmed that the condition is not due to an injury or any operational event like the canceled spacewalk.
Once Crew-11 departs, only three crewmembers will remain on the ISS, which NASA officials say will limit U.S. operations and spacewalks until the arrival of the next crew, prompting consideration of moving Crew-12’s launch earlier.
NASA is targeting undocking of the SpaceX Crew Dragon around 5 p.m. Eastern, followed by a deorbit burn at about 2:50 a.m. and splashdown off the coast of Southern California around 3:40 a.m., using standard Dragon reentry procedures and recovery teams on station, subject to weather conditions.
History
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