Historic first: NASA announcement after International Space Station astronaut suffers 'serious' health problem
International Space Station. PHOTO: limbitech | Dreamstime.com
NASA will begin the early evacuation of Crew-11 from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, due to a “serious” medical problem suffered by an astronaut. According to the BBC, it is the first time in the station's 25-year history that a mission has been terminated prematurely for health reasons.
The US space agency plans to detach the SpaceX Dragon capsule on Wednesday, so that it will land near the coast of California on Thursday morning, January 15, 2026, “subject to weather and recovery conditions.”
“After discussions with Dr. James Polk, the chief medical officer, and agency leadership, we have concluded that it is in the best interest of our astronauts to bring Crew-11 home ahead of schedule,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said at a news conference Thursday.
This represents the first medical evacuation in the orbiting laboratory's quarter-century history. An astronaut has reportedly contracted a “serious” condition, the diagnosis of which has not been disclosed for privacy reasons. Because of this situation, NASA had to cancel the first spacewalk scheduled for this year.
“It's a serious medical case and that's why we chose this path,” Isaacman explained.
“Since the astronaut's condition is completely stable, this is not a critical emergency evacuation,” said Dr. Polk. “We are not conducting an immediate disembarkation, but the persistent risk related to the diagnosis has led us to make this decision for the safety of the crew member.”
Crew-11, led by American commander Zena Cardman, arrived on the ISS in August 2025. The group also includes NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
Three other crew members — American Chris Williams and Russians Sergei Mikayev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov — will remain aboard the station to continue the mission.
NASA plans to de-orbit the increasingly expensive space station by late 2030 or early 2031.
