Astronaut’s Medical Issue Prompts Concerns Over Space Station Mission Timeline

A medical issue affecting a Crew-11 astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has forced NASA to postpone a scheduled spacewalk indefinitely and consider bringing the crew home early. The development has raised concerns about the mission’s timeline, which was initially set to conclude in mid-February. The Crew-11 team, consisting of pilot Mike Fincke, commander Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, launched to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on August 1. As the crew approaches the final weeks of their mission, a medical issue has arisen, prompting NASA to reassess their plans.

NASA has never returned an astronaut from the ISS early due to a medical issue, but the agency is always prepared for such an eventuality. In this case, bringing Crew-11 home early would be relatively straightforward, as their Crew Dragon spacecraft — docked to the ISS. The crew would board the Dragon capsule and likely head for reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, followed by recovery by a SpaceX vessel based in Southern California. The postponed spacewalk, initially scheduled for Thursday, had several critical tasks, including preparing the 2A power channel for the future installation of a roll-out solar ← →