NASA Confirms First Medical Evacuation in ISS’s 25-Year History

For the first time in its 25-year history, the ISS will undergo a medical evacuation. NASA announced on Jan. 9 that SpaceX's four-astronaut Crew-11 mission will undock early on Jan. 14, returning to Earth with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California on Jan. 15. One crew member has a health issue, though NASA has kept details private. Officials say the astronauts are “stable, safe and well cared for”.

Crew-11's Early Return

According to the news reports, Crew-11, a four-person ISS crew (two Americans, a Japanese and a Russian), arrived at the station on Aug. 2 for a planned six-month stay. The mission was cut short after an astronaut reported a health problem on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to postpone a spacewalk. Officials then announced the Dragon capsule would undock Jan. 14 to return the crew to Earth for medical care. NASA emphasises that this is precautionary; the crew remains “stable, safe and well cared for”. This marks the first medical evacuation in ISS history.

ISS Continues with Skeleton Crew

With that, only three astronauts will be on the ISS after Jan. 15: NASA's Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev. This “skeleton crew” is smaller than the typical seven on station, though three-person crews were common during the station's early years. NASA said the remaining crew will have full support from mission control as they operate the station until four new Crew-12 astronauts arrive in mid-February.