Astronauts Returning Early From International Space Station After Medical Issue

You know how people always wonder, ‘What if you get sick in space?’ Well, we just got a real answer. For the first time in the 25-year history of the International Space Station, NASA is actually ending a mission early because of a medical issue. Four astronauts are packing up and coming home sooner than planned because one of them needs care that just isn't available in orbit.

Speaking to reporters last week, the US space agency said the four astronauts, under the command of Zena Cardman, would be heading back home sooner than expected. Officials chose not to share details about who was affected or what exactly went wrong, saying the matter was private. NASA chief Jared Isaacman made it clear the decision wasn’t taken lightly, stressing that the health issue was serious enough to justify an early return. NASA didn’t go into specifics but clarified that the health problem had nothing to do with the mission itself and wasn’t caused by any kind of accident or injury.

NASA announced that the crew is set to return to Earth early on Thursday, 15 January, Indian time, with their landing near California depending on weather and recovery conditions. The Crew-11 astronauts set off for the space station in August last year, travelling on a SpaceX spacecraft, and were meant to stay up there for roughly six months. Four astronauts in the team include Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke from the US, Kimiya Yui from Japan, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. This also marks a first for the US space agency, which has been flying missions for more than six decades; never before has a crew been brought back sooner than planned because of a health concern. If Crew-11 returns together, three others would still be on the station, including one astronaut from the US and two cosmonauts from Russia.

NASA is preparing to decommission the ageing space station, which has become expensive to operate, with plans to end its service around 2030 or 2031. Astronauts have stayed on board the International Space Station continuously since 2000, carrying out studies meant to prepare humans for longer and more distant space journeys, including future trips to Mars. The space station is equipped with essential medical tools and supplies, along with secure communication links that allow astronauts to consult doctors on Earth in private. This enables ground-based medical teams to evaluate an astronaut’s condition and recommend care.