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ISS Command Shifts as NASA Plans First Medical-Driven Early Return of Crew-11

Officials describe a controlled departure to allow ground-based evaluation unavailable on orbit.

Overview

  • Undocking is targeted no earlier than Wednesday, Jan. 14 at about 5 p.m. ET, with a planned splashdown off Southern California early Thursday around 3:40 a.m. ET, pending weather.
  • All four Crew-11 members—Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov—will return together aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour.
  • NASA says the affected astronaut is stable, and the agency is withholding identity and medical details to protect privacy.
  • Station command transferred from Mike Fincke to Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, leaving Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikaev, and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to operate the ISS.
  • U.S. spacewalks are paused until full staffing resumes, and NASA is assessing earlier launch options for Crew-12 to shorten the gap.