NASA astronauts to depart space station early due to medical concern
(TNND) — The NASA and SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station is returning to Earth on Wednesday, ahead of schedule, due to a medical concern with a crew member working in the lab.
Although the agency affirmed the situation is stable, they did not disclose or provide details about the medical issue or who was impacted due to privacy concerns of the crew. Members of the crew include NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke.
"First and foremost, we are all OK. Everyone on board is stable, safe, and well cared for. This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists. It’s the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet," Fincke wrote on LinkedIn.
This is the first departure from the International Space Station due to a medical concern in 25 years, although officials emphasized it is not an emergency.
The crew launched to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center in August, out of Florida. They planned to stay at the International Space Station until February. However, NASA said a crew member had a medical incident during an orbiting outport, which caused a spacewalk and upgrades to the station to be cancelled.
"I've come to the decision that it's in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a press conference on Jan. 8.












