Crew-11 begins historic early return after medical evacuation from the ISS

WASHINGTON: In an unprecedented move for the International Space Station (ISS), NASA’s four astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission have closed the hatch of their Dragon spacecraft and prepared to undock early as part of the first planned medical evacuation in the station’s more than 25-year history.

Crew-11’s departure comes after one crew member experienced a medical concern that required bringing the entire team home sooner than originally planned. The mission, which launched in August 2025 for what was meant to be a six-to-eight-month science expedition, was cut short in order to provide advanced medical evaluation and care on Earth.

The crew, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, sealed the hatch at approximately 3.30 pm on Wednesday (local time), ahead of their undocking from the station later that afternoon.

Watch Dragon and Crew-11 return to Earth → https://t.co/DIuBob7vs6 https://t.co/zo1FJixd0b

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 15, 2026

NASA mission managers confirmed that the affected astronaut is stable and conscious, but that further evaluation on Earth is the safest course of action. The early return also marked a rare postponement of station activities, including a scheduled spacewalk, as teams prepared for the crew’s departure, as reported by CBS.

Once undocked, the Crew-11 Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, will perform a series of departure burns to move away from the ISS before beginning its approximately 10- to 11-hour journey back to Earth. The spacecraft is expected to splash down off the coast of California in the Pacific Ocean early on January 15 (local time), where recovery teams stand ready.

This early return represents a significant moment not just for the Crew-11 mission, but for human spaceflight operations overall. NASA and SpaceX’s Commercial Crew Program have repeatedly demonstrated reliable transport of astronauts to and from orbit, but this is the first instance where a crewed ISS mission has been shortened for health reasons rather than operational or technical scheduling changes.

NASA Administrator and mission officials underscored that crew safety remains the agency’s top priority, and that measures are in place to support astronaut health both on orbit and during an expedited return when needed.

As Crew-11 makes its way home, the ISS remains staffed by other astronauts who will continue ongoing science and station operations until new crew members arrive later this year.(ANI)