NASA brings astronauts home early in first-ever medical evacuation
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
NASA conducted its first medical evacuation from space early Thursday, returning four astronauts to Earth more than a month early after a crew member reported health problems aboard the International Space Station.
SpaceX piloted the Dragon capsule to land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at night, completing the return less than 11 hours after the crew left the orbiting laboratory.
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – Welcome back to Earth, @zenanaut, @AstroIronMike, @Astro_Kimiya and Oleg!” SpaceX said in a post on X.
NASA said the affected astronaut was stable while in orbit, but mission managers determined that an early return was safest to allow for appropriate medical evaluation and diagnostic testing on Earth.
Officials emphasized that the return did not require any special procedures and that standard medical teams were present during recovery.
NASA MADE A ‘UNIQUE’ CALL TO BRING ASTRONAUTS HOME AFTER ILLNESS, EXPERT: ‘HE WAS EVACUATED FROM ORBIT’
This screenshot from video provided by NASA shows rescue ships approaching NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of its crew members after it re-entered earth during a midnight splashdown on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, near San Diego, California. (NASA via AP)
The mission’s early conclusion left the space station temporarily manned by just three astronauts (one American and two Russians); This configuration is manageable but restricts some operations, NASA said.
Agency officials said no spacewalks, including emergency repairs, could take place until the next crew arrived.
This screenshot from video provided by NASA shows SpaceX Crew-11 members entering earth with a midnight splash near San Diego, California, on Thursday, January 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
NASA emphasized that the decision was not an emergency but a precautionary measure. The discovery of the health problem on January 7 led to the cancellation of the spacewalk planned the next day and the resulting shortening of the mission.
This screenshot from video provided by NASA shows members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 entering earth in a midnight splashdown near San Diego, California, on Thursday, January 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This marked the first time NASA had to abort a spaceflight for medical reasons; However, similar decisions were made by Russian space programs decades ago.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
NASA and SpaceX said they are working to expedite the launch of the four-person backup crew, currently scheduled for mid-February.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
