In an uncommon decision, NASA is curtailing a mission currently underway on the International Space Station due to a medical complication experienced by a crew member.
The space agency announced on Thursday that the four-person contingent, comprising American, Japanese, and Russian astronauts, will be brought back to Earth in the ensuing days, marking an earlier departure than initially scheduled.
Consequently, NASA has been compelled to cancel its inaugural spacewalk for the year, a decision directly linked to the astronaut’s health concern. The agency has opted not to disclose the identity of the affected astronaut or the precise nature of the medical issue, citing patient confidentiality. The crew member’s condition has since stabilized.
NASA leadership emphasized that this situation did not constitute an onboard emergency. Rather, the decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the well-being of the crew member, as stated by Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer.
Dr. Polk further elaborated that this marks the first instance of a medical evacuation from the space station, although astronauts have previously received treatment for less severe ailments, such as dental pain and discomfort in the ears.
The four individuals returning to Earth had arrived at the orbiting laboratory in August via a SpaceX mission, anticipating a duration of at least six months. This crew included NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, alongside Kimiya Yui of Japan and Oleg Platonov from Russia.
Originally, Fincke and Cardman were slated to conduct a spacewalk to facilitate preparations for the subsequent deployment of solar panels, intended to augment the space station’s power supply.
According to NASA records, this represented Fincke’s fourth deployment to the space station and Yui’s second. For both Cardman and Platonov, this was their inaugural spaceflight experience.
“I commend the prompt and dedicated efforts across the agency thus far in safeguarding our astronauts,” remarked NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.
Currently, three additional astronauts are residing and conducting operations aboard the space station. These include NASA’s Chris Williams and Russians Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who commenced their eight-month mission in November aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. Their return to Earth is anticipated in the summer months.
NASA has designated SpaceX with the responsibility of eventually guiding the space station out of its orbit, a process expected to conclude by late 2030 or early 2031. The established protocols dictate a controlled atmospheric re-entry over an oceanic region.
