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2h ago

NASA Sets Jan. 14 Undocking for Crew-11’s First-Ever ISS Medical Evacuation

NASA says the move is a controlled, expedited medical evacuation to allow hospital-level diagnostics unavailable on the station.

Long-exposure photograph from the International Space Station with a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft visible in the lower foreground. Credit: NASA
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(Image Credit: JAXA/Kimiya Yui/NASA)
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Overview

  • Undocking is targeted for no earlier than 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 14 with a SpaceX Dragon splashdown off California expected around 3:40 a.m. ET on Jan. 15, subject to weather and recovery conditions.
  • Officials report the affected astronaut is stable and needs ground-based evaluation, with the individual’s identity withheld under medical privacy rules.
  • NASA characterizes the plan as a standard Dragon landing and recovery sequence rather than an emergency deorbit.
  • The medical issue is unrelated to ISS operations or preparations for the Jan. 8 spacewalk that was canceled after the concern arose.
  • With Crew-11 returning early, NASA is assessing whether to move up the Crew-12 launch to restore a full crew complement on the station.