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2h ago

Crew-11 Departs ISS in First-Ever Medical Evacuation, Splashdown Expected Off California

NASA says the precautionary return enables ground-based medical evaluation unavailable on the station.

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iss074e0001091 (Dec. 12, 2025) --- The seven-member Expedition 74 crew gathers for a portrait inside the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module. In the front row, from left, are Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, along with NASA astronaut Chris Williams. In the back row are JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. Kud-Sverchkov (center) was celebrating 200 cumulative days in space with a slice of cake.
The official portrait of the four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission aboard the International Space Station. From left, are Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut, and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman.
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Overview

  • The SpaceX Crew Dragon undocked around 5 p.m. ET Wednesday after hatch closure at 3:29 p.m., starting a roughly 10–11 hour return.
  • Splashdown is targeted for about 3:40 a.m. ET Thursday in the Pacific off Southern California, weather permitting.
  • All four Crew-11 members—Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov—are returning together aboard Dragon Endeavour.
  • NASA has not identified the affected astronaut or disclosed details, citing privacy, and says the condition is stable with no emergency deorbit.
  • SpaceX recovery teams will conduct post-landing medical checks and transport the crew to JSC, as the ISS runs with fewer personnel and NASA evaluates advancing the Crew-12 launch.