Historic Medical Evacuation Underway At International Space Station

A historic medical evacuation is underway at the International Space Station (ISS), marking the first time a crew has been forced to return to Earth prematurely due to a medical issue. The crew, known as Crew-11, consists of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They were originally scheduled to remain on the ISS until mid-February but will now depart no earlier than 5 p.

m. ET on Wednesday. The decision to bring the crew home early was made after one of them fell ill on January 7. Although NASA has not disclosed the name of the ailing astronaut or specific details about their condition, officials have assured that they are stable. Mission pilot Fincke reiterated this in a LinkedIn post, stating that everyone on board is “stable, safe, and well cared for.” He emphasized that the decision to evacuate was deliberate, allowing for proper medical evaluations to take place on the ground.

The crew is currently preparing for their return, checking their spacesuits and packing personal items while maintaining day-to-day space station operations. They will leave behind Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who will continue their ← →