CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – A crew member experiencing health difficulties was brought back to Earth alongside three colleagues on Thursday, concluding their prolonged stay aboard the space station more than a month ahead of schedule, marking NASA’s inaugural medical repatriation from orbit.
SpaceX facilitated the capsule’s descent, culminating in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego during the early morning hours, a mere eleven hours post-departure from the International Space Station. The astronauts’ immediate destination was a medical facility for an overnight evaluation.
“Evidently, this decision for an early return was necessitated by a significant medical concern,” stated NASA’s recently appointed administrator, Jared Isaacman, following the capsule’s recovery. “The astronaut involved is presently in good condition, spirits are high, and they are undergoing the requisite medical assessments.”
This abrupt conclusion brought to a close a mission that commenced in August, leaving the orbiting laboratory with a reduced contingent of one American and two Russian cosmonauts. NASA and SpaceX are reportedly exploring options to expedite the launch of a new four-person crew, with the next liftoff currently slated for mid-February.
Among the returning crew members were NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, accompanied by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Authorities have elected not to disclose the identity of the astronaut who experienced the medical issue last week or the specifics of the situation, citing patient confidentiality protocols.
While the astronaut’s condition remained stable in orbit, NASA prioritized their swift return to Earth for comprehensive medical attention and diagnostic evaluations. Officials confirmed that the reentry and splashdown procedures proceeded without the need for any extraordinary modifications or special arrangements, and the recovery vessel was appropriately staffed with medical professionals.
The astronauts disembarked from the capsule sequentially within an hour of their ocean landing. They were assisted onto recovery couches and subsequently transported for standard medical screenings, acknowledging observers with waves. Isaacman observed the proceedings from Mission Control in Houston, alongside the families of the crew members.
Welcome home! #Crew11 @NASA_Astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off the coast of California after 167 days days in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the… pic.twitter.com/BYwrkYSpTI
— NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) January 15, 2026
Several days prior, NASA made the determination to transport the entire crew directly to a hospital in the San Diego vicinity upon their arrival, with preliminary helicopter transport drills from the recovery ship having been conducted.
The astronaut in question is scheduled to undergo exhaustive medical examinations before rejoining the remainder of the crew for their transit back to Houston on Friday, contingent upon their fitness. The arrangements for Platonov’s return to Moscow were not definitively specified.
NASA emphasized consistently throughout the preceding week that the situation did not constitute an emergency. The astronaut became unwell or sustained an injury on January 7, which led to the postponement of Cardman and Fincke’s scheduled spacewalk the following day and ultimately necessitated the early return. This marked the first instance of NASA curtailing a spaceflight due to medical considerations; Russian counterparts had implemented similar measures decades prior.
Isaacman clarified that preparations for the spacewalk were not the catalyst for the medical development. However, he cautioned against premature conclusions regarding other potential contributing factors, stating, “it would be highly speculative to draw any definitive conclusions or prematurely dismiss any possibilities at this juncture.” He further noted the uncertainty regarding whether a similar incident might have transpired had the individual remained on Earth.
The operational capacity of the space station has previously been maintained with a crew of three, and on occasion, even with only two individuals. NASA indicated that the station will be unable to conduct any extravehicular activities, even in urgent circumstances, until the arrival of the subsequent crew, which comprises two American astronauts, one French astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut.
Isaacman indicated that it is too early to ascertain whether the deployment of station reinforcements will take precedence over the agency’s initial lunar mission involving astronauts in over fifty years.
The lunar rocket is scheduled to be moved to the launchpad this coming weekend at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, with a fueling test anticipated by the beginning of next month. A definitive launch date cannot be established until these preparations are finalized; the earliest potential departure for the lunar flyaround is February 6.
Presently, NASA is managing both missions concurrently, with minimal overlap in personnel, according to Isaacman.
“Should we reach a point where a decision is required to deconflict between two human spaceflight endeavors, that represents a highly favorable predicament for NASA,” he informed reporters.
