NASA Plans Early Return of ISS Crew-11 After Astronaut Medical Issue

Overview

• Agency leaders, including Jared Isaacman and NASA medical and health director James Polk, announced the early return decision with a detailed schedule expected within about 48 hours.
• NASA scrubbed a planned spacewalk after the onboard health problem surfaced this week.
• The affected crew member is reported stable, with medical details withheld for privacy, and officials said the issue is neither related to station operations nor an injury.
• Authorities said one American astronaut will remain on the station with two Russian cosmonauts as partners adjust science and maintenance plans, which outside experts say could slow some work.
• Crew-11 consists of NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, who launched in August 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon for a roughly six-month rotation.