NASA evacuating ISS crew on medical grounds for the first time

NASA is evacuating a crew from the International Space Station for the first time in the history of the laboratory orbiting Earth. The space agency said that the step was being taken because an astronaut had faced a medical issue. Crew-11 went to the ISS in August 2025 and was to spend six months in space. It consists of US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yu. NASA said on Thursday (January 8) that the US-Russian crew will return earlier than planned. This comes after it cancelled a spacewalk scheduled for the same day because of health concerns. It has not revealed the nature of the medical problem or the name of the astronaut. Dr James Polk, NASA's chief health and medical officer, said they were "erring on the side of caution for the crew member" even though it is not an emergency.

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Two spacewalks were scheduled for January 2026

Polk added that this is the first medical evacuation in the history of the space station. In the past, astronauts have been treated for issues like toothaches and ear pain aboard the ISS. Thursday's spacewalk was to be carried out by Fincke, the ISS commander, and Zena Cardman, a flight engineer. They were to prepare an outer portion of the ISS for a future rollout of solar panels that would have helped the station function through its end years before it is de-orbited in 2030. Cardman was to perform his first spacewalk on his maiden trip to the ISS. It would have been the 10th spacewalk for Fincke. "I'm proud of the swift effort across the agency thus far to ensure the safety of our astronauts," NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.

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Another spacewalk was due to take place on January 15, involving two other astronauts who were not named yet. They were to replace a high-definition camera, set up a new docking aid for spacecraft visiting the ISS, besides a few other things. However, now that NASA has announced plans to return the entire crew, this spacewalk is also effectively cancelled. The four astronauts were launched by SpaceX in August. Besides them, three other astronauts - NASA's Chris Williams and Russia's Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov - are at the ISS after arriving in November aboard a Soyuz rocket for an eight-month mission.