NASA begins early return of four astronauts due to medical issue

January 15, 2026 / 10:16 AM

Sharjah24 - WAM: NASA has begun returning a four-member astronaut crew to Earth earlier than planned due to a medical issue, marking the first early return of its kind in the history of the International Space Station (ISS).

Live footage from NASA showed the astronauts undocking from the ISS aboard a SpaceX-operated Crew Dragon capsule on Wednesday, officially beginning their journey back to Earth.

Astronauts on board

The crew includes US astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California after approximately 11 hours of flight on Thursday.

Health concerns prompt decision

NASA previously announced that it had cancelled a scheduled spacewalk at short notice due to health concerns involving one crew member. Following further assessment, the agency decided to bring the entire four-person crew back to Earth ahead of schedule.

Mission timeline

Crew-11 has been aboard the ISS since early August and was originally expected to remain in orbit for several more weeks before this decision was made.