Photo: Getty Images
The International Space Station (ISS) crew, including a sick astronaut, safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, early Thursday (January 15). NASA confirmed that the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft landed on schedule at 12:41 a.m. PT. The decision to end the mission early was made on January 8 due to a medical situation involving one of the astronauts.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated, "I've come to the decision that it's in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure."
The Crew-11 mission, part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, included NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They launched to the ISS on August 1, 2025, and were initially scheduled to return in mid-to-late February. However, the mission was cut short due to the health concern, marking the first medical evacuation from the ISS in its history. Despite the early return, the affected astronaut remains stable, and no emergency evacuation was necessary.
The crew undocked from the ISS at 5:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday (January 14) after preparing by packing cargo and reviewing return procedures. NASA has not disclosed the identity or condition of the affected astronaut due to privacy concerns. Crew-11's departure leaves three astronauts on the ISS, with the next crew, SpaceX's Crew-12, scheduled to launch on February 15 according to NASA.