Overview
- SpaceX’s Crew Dragon departed overnight carrying Michael Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov on an approximately 11-hour trip to a planned splashdown off California.
- Officials say the affected astronaut is stable and expected to recover fully, with identity and medical details withheld for privacy.
- This is the first time an ISS visiting crew has been sent home early for medical reasons in the station’s history.
- Before departure, station command passed to Russian cosmonaut Sergej Kud-Swertschkow, and operations continue with two Russians and one American onboard.
- NASA and international partners are reviewing near-term staffing and whether to adjust the next crew rotation currently planned for mid-February.