NASA is ending an International Space Station mission early after one astronaut developed a medical issue, a move agency officials described as precautionary but uncommon.
The space agency said Thursday that the four-person U.S.–Japanese–Russian crew will return to Earth in the coming days, cutting short a stay that was originally expected to last at least six months. NASA did not identify the astronaut involved or disclose details about the condition, citing medical privacy. The crew member is now stable.
Officials emphasized that the situation was not considered an onboard emergency. Still, NASA opted to cancel the mission’s first scheduled spacewalk of the year and begin return preparations.
“We’re erring on the side of caution for the crew member,” said Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer.
Polk said this marks the first time NASA has decided to bring astronauts home early from the space station for a medical reason, though crew members have previously been treated in orbit for minor issues such as toothaches or ear pain.
The crew arrived at the station in August aboard a SpaceX capsule. It includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Fincke and Cardman had been slated to conduct a spacewalk to prepare the station for future solar panel upgrades.
For Fincke, the mission marked his fourth stay aboard the station, while it was Yui’s second. Cardman and Platonov were on their first spaceflight.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the agency’s response, saying he was “proud of the swift effort across the agency thus far to ensure the safety of our astronauts.”
Three other astronauts remain aboard the space station. NASA’s Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov arrived in November on a Soyuz spacecraft and are scheduled to return to Earth this summer.
NASA plans to retire the International Space Station by the end of the decade, with SpaceX contracted to help guide the orbiting lab to a controlled reentry over the ocean around 2030 or 2031.
Source: APNews