ISS crew touches down after mystery medical evacuation

This marks the first time a mission has returned ahead of schedule for medical reasons in the station’s 25-year history

Four astronauts returned to Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on Thursday after leaving the International Space Station (ISS) a month ahead of schedule due to a medical issue affecting one crew member.

The four-person team had been conducting research aboard the ISS since August and was expected to remain until next month, following a handover period after the arrival of the Crew-12 mission.

The Crew-11 members – Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, and Japan’s Kimiya Yui – landed safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 3:41am ET on Thursday, concluding a nearly 11-hour journey from the International Space Station.

It remains unclear which crew member was affected, though NASA said the astronaut, who is in stable condition, is expected to be taken to the hospital. The agency has not disclosed the person’s name or the nature of the medical issue.

The crew is now aboard a recovery ship that lifted their SpaceX capsule out of the Pacific following splashdown.

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All four were seen smiling and waving as they exited the spacecraft. NASA said they will undergo routine medical checks, a standard procedure for all returning space travelers.

Although NASA has not disclosed the exact circumstances that prompted the evacuation, the agency canceled a scheduled spacewalk Wednesday afternoon due to the medical issue. The operation, involving the installation of solar panels, was planned for NASA astronauts Fincke and Cardman.

Japan’s space agency (JAXA) said astronaut Kimiya Yui was not the crew member affected, according to media reports.

“This is not an injury that occurred during operations,” Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer, said on January 8. He added that the issue stemmed from “the difficult areas of microgravity” and that the astronaut was being brought home to take advantage of Earth-based diagnostic tools.

In the meantime, the ISS will be maintained by Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, as well as NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who launched to the station aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-28 in November.