US EditionFour Astronauts Splash Down Back on Earth After NASA’s First ISS Medical Evacuation
NASA's first ISS medical evacuation ended a 167-day mission early due to a crewmember's health issue; astronauts landed safely after 10.5 hours reentry, officials said.
- On Jan. 15, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off San Diego at 3:41 a.m. EST, ending the Crew-11 return after NASA's first ISS medical evacuation.
- NASA announced on Jan. 7 that it had canceled a Jan. 8 spacewalk and ended Crew-11 early after an affected crewmember fell ill due to limited on-station diagnostic capability.
- They undocked at 10.20pm and reentered, with drogue and main parachutes slowing descent to about 15 miles per hour before splashdown around 12:41 a.m. , then SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON crews began medical checks.
- Only three people remain aboard the ISS, leaving NASA astronaut Christopher Williams to oversee U.S. operations solo, and NASA cannot perform spacewalks until Crew‑12 arrives Feb. 15.
- In the station's 25‑year history, this marked the first medically shortened flight; NASA declined to name the affected crewmember, who is stable and will receive local hospital evaluations and follow‑up at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
118 Articles
118 Articles
NASA Brings Its Ailing Astronaut Home
An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA's first medical evacuation. SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International...
ISS astronauts return to Earth after first-ever medical evacuation
WASHINGTON, Jan 15 — Four International Space Station crewmembers splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Nasa footage showed, after the first ever medical evacuation in the orbital lab’s history.A video feed from Nasa showed the capsule carrying American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui land off the coast of San Diego at 12.41 am (0841 GMT).“On behalf of SpaceX an…
NASA's first medical evacuation brings ailing astronaut back to Earth
An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA's first medical evacuation.SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station."It's so good to be home," said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.READ MORE: Rottnest seaplane cr…
SpaceX capsule with four ISS astronauts splashes down on Earth safely after first-ever medical evacuation
The Crew-11 quartet arrived at the ISS in early August and had been scheduled to stay onboard the space station until they were rotated out in mid-February with the arrival of the next crew
For the first time in the history of the ISS, NASA has brought back a crew from space prematurely due to a medical problem. Those affected by the four spacemen were not known.
Crew 11 safely splashes down after shortened mission
(Left to Right) Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya You inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour shortly after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls. Four space station crewmates undocked and plunged back to Earth Thursday, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocea…
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