{"id":690827,"date":"2026-01-12T10:09:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T10:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/690827\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T10:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T10:09:12","slug":"nasa-officials-to-evacuate-international-space-station-after-mysterious-medical-concern-affects-crew-11-astronaut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/690827\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Officials to Evacuate International Space Station After Mysterious \u201cMedical Concern\u201d Affects Crew-11 Astronaut"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA has announced<\/a> that it plans to return several astronauts to Earth following a \u201cmedical concern<\/a>\u201d involving a crewmember aboard the International Space Station<\/a> (ISS).<\/p>\n

The plans were announced<\/a> by the space agency on January 8, following an initial announcement<\/a> earlier in the week that revealed an unspecified medical issue was affecting one of the Crew-11 astronauts currently on board the station.<\/p>\n

NASA officials have said they are currently working with commercial partner SpaceX<\/a> and are aiming to evacuate the astronaut crew no earlier than 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 14, pending weather conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to medical privacy, it is not\u00a0appropriate for\u00a0NASA to share more details about the crew member,\u201d the space agency said in a statement<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n

According to the NASA update, the agency\u2019s American astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui\u00a0and\u00a0Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, will make their return via splashdown landing off the California coast shortly after 3:30 a.m. next Thursday, January 15.<\/p>\n

\u201cMission managers continue\u00a0monitoring\u00a0conditions in the\u00a0recovery\u00a0area,\u201d NASA officials said on Friday<\/a>, \u201cas undocking\u00a0of the\u00a0SpaceX\u00a0Dragon\u00a0depends on\u00a0spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Space Agency says it will be providing real-time coverage of the evacuation beginning at approximately 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14, beginning with hatch closure, followed by undocking scheduled to begin at around 4:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

Coverage will resume the following morning at 2:15 a.m. in advance of the SpaceX capsule\u2019s deorbit and splashdown, currently scheduled for approximately 3:40 a.m. pending weather and other conditions.<\/p>\n

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Presently, NASA has provided few details about the nature of the medical concern or which crewmember has been affected.<\/p>\n

An early media conference is scheduled for 5:45 a.m. later that morning, following the crew\u2019s return to Earth, at which time NASA officials say they will share more details about the situation.<\/p>\n

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>micah@thedebrief.org<\/strong><\/a>. Follow him on X\u00a0<\/strong>@MicahHanks<\/strong><\/a>, and at\u00a0<\/strong>micahhanks.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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