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40m ago

NASA Conducts First ISS Medical Evacuation With Crew-11 Splashdown Off California

The controlled early return ensures ground-based medical evaluation for a stable crew member whose identity remains undisclosed.

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)
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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 Crew Dragon Endeavour splashed down off San Diego at 3:41 a.m. EST on Jan. 15 after roughly a 10–11 hour trip from the station.
  • Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov were recovered and taken to a local hospital for evaluations before postflight reconditioning at Johnson Space Center.
  • NASA reported the medical issue was serious enough to require Earth diagnostics yet not an emergency, and it has withheld the affected astronaut’s name and details for privacy.
  • The ISS is temporarily staffed by three — Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Sergey Mikaev — with science scaled back and nonessential spacewalks deferred.
  • Officials are assessing whether to move up the mid‑February Crew‑12 launch to restore full staffing and resume normal operations.