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2h ago

Crew-11 Splashdown Marks First ISS Medical Evacuation

NASA is weighing an earlier Crew-12 launch to restore normal operations on a three-person station.

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CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 15: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'NASA / BILL INGALLS / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov (L), NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, California on January 15, 2026. Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov returned after 167 days in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station. (Photo by NASA/Bill Ingalls/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The International Space Station has gone from seven crew members down to a "skeleton crew" of three due to a recent medical evacuation.
© GCTC via NASA

Overview

  • SpaceX Dragon Endeavour undocked on January 14 and splashed down off San Diego early January 15 after roughly 9.5 hours in orbit and a 13-minute deorbit burn.
  • NASA says one astronaut had a medical issue, remains stable, and no identity or clinical details have been released.
  • All four astronauts—Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov—were taken for hospital evaluations and will proceed to Johnson Space Center for postflight reconditioning.
  • With Crew-11 home, Christopher Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergey Mikaev are maintaining the ISS with reduced research and no nonessential spacewalks.
  • Officials are evaluating whether to move up the mid-February Crew-12 launch to shorten the understaffed period, which could affect Artemis II preparations.