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NASA Sets Early Crew-11 Return From ISS After Non-Emergency Medical Issue

The departure marks the ISS program’s first controlled medical evacuation.

Overview

  • NASA and SpaceX are targeting undocking no earlier than Jan. 14 and a weather-dependent splashdown off the California coast early Jan. 15.
  • The affected astronaut is stable and needs diagnostics not available on the station, and officials say the issue is unrelated to station operations or the scrubbed spacewalk.
  • Crew-11 consists of NASA’s Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and RoscosmosOleg Platonov, who launched Aug. 1 for a mission originally planned through February.
  • After Dragon’s departure, American astronaut Chris Williams will be the only U.S. crew member aboard as NASA considers advancing the Crew‑12 launch to restore full staffing.
  • Teams will follow standard Crew Dragon return procedures, including undocking, deorbit, splashdown, and recovery with medical support on standby.