SpaceX Dragon Returns Crew-11 to Earth Early After NASA Orders First ISS Medical Evacuation

Overview

• Four Crew-11 astronauts splashed down off San Diego early Thursday local time after a roughly 10-hour descent from the International Space Station.
• NASA said one crew member is stable and was taken to a San Diego hospital for additional evaluation, with the astronaut’s identity and medical details withheld for privacy.
• The agency emphasized the operation was not an emergency and called it the first controlled, medically driven early return from the ISS.
• The mission ended about a month ahead of schedule after 167 days in orbit for Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov.
• Videos showed a bright plasma trail over the western U.S. during reentry, and NASA and SpaceX said they will try to move up the next four-person launch currently planned for mid-February.