NASA has moved to bring SpaceX Crew-11 home ahead of schedule after a medical incident aboard the International Space Station, with agency leaders stressing the affected astronaut is stable and that the decision is a precautionary step to complete medical evaluation on Earth.
In a press briefing held this morning AEDT, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said a single crew member experienced a “medical situation” on 7 January (US time) and that, after consultation with NASA’s Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr J.D. Polk and senior agency leadership, NASA decided it was in the crew’s best interest to return the four-person Crew-11 mission “ahead of their planned departure”.
Within days, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour is expected to undock from the ISS carrying Crew-11 Commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Isaacman said NASA expects to provide a further update within 48 hours on the undock and re-entry timeline, with the return described as controlled and planned rather than an emergency deorbit.
Dr Polk said NASA would not disclose the identity of the astronaut or details of the condition, citing medical privacy. He confirmed the crew member is “absolutely stable” and that the situation does not require immediate evacuation. However, he said the incident is serious enough to warrant a more comprehensive diagnostic “workup” than can be completed on orbit, even with the station’s robust medical capability.
“We don’t have the complete amount of hardware that I would have in the emergency department,” Polk said, explaining that returning to Earth allows access to the full suite of medical testing required to reduce uncertainty and lingering risk.
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Chatrath said the response followed standard procedures and reflected intensive training for off-nominal events. He described the crew’s actions as a “textbook example” of onboard training and said the agency’s approach was to prioritise safety while minimising disruption to station operations.
Officials emphasised the incident was not linked to a spacewalk or any operational activity on the station. When asked whether pre-EVA preparations could have contributed, NASA responded that the medical issue was “totally unrelated” to station operations and not an injury sustained during mission work.
Temporary reduction in US crew presence
Crew-11 has been in orbit for about five months and has completed the majority of its objectives, NASA said. After Endeavour’s departure, NASA astronaut Chris Williams—who launched to the station on Soyuz MS-28 in late November—will maintain the United States’ continuous presence on the ISS while supporting operations and ongoing research alongside Russian crewmates.
NASA acknowledged that operating with a reduced US complement is not ideal but is a configuration the program has managed before, including during earlier assembly phases and other anomalous periods. The main operational constraint will be reduced capacity for US-led spacewalk activity, with officials noting there will be a period without “nominal or contingency” US EVAs until Crew-12 arrives.
Crew-12 is currently scheduled to launch in mid-February. Isaacman said NASA and partners are evaluating whether an earlier launch opportunity is feasible, but any adjustments would be managed as a separate campaign from other major activities such as preparations for Artemis II.
No emergency landing changes expected
NASA said it is planning for a nominal deorbit and recovery profile, targeting approved splashdown locations and existing recovery assets. Officials also said medical precautions—including flight surgeons, onboard equipment, and pre-arranged medical support on the recovery ship and at contingency facilities—are standard for all landings, with no special deviations required despite the medical incident.
Dr Polk added that, while the ISS has a strong record of managing health issues on orbit, this case is notable because it represents the first time NASA has chosen an early return specifically to complete a diagnostic workup on the ground. He also noted that historical risk modelling has long anticipated the possibility of a medical evacuation roughly every three years across the station’s 25-year continuous presence, yet NASA has not previously needed to execute one.
Looking ahead, Isaacman and Polk said NASA expects to learn from the incident as the agency plans for longer-duration missions beyond low Earth orbit. They pointed to future needs for enhanced diagnostics, medical technology and emerging capabilities such as AI-enabled decision support, particularly for lunar surface operations and eventual Mars missions where rapid return is not possible.
Isaacman said NASA would continue to share updates as soon as key milestones—especially the Crew-11 re-entry timeline and any Crew-12 launch adjustments—are confirmed, describing the response as the ISS system operating “exactly as designed” for contingencies while maintaining transparency within privacy and operational limits.
Image: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman delivering press briefing
