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NASA astronauts to depart space station early due to medical concern


CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - AUGUST 1: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, right, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A on NASA's Kennedy Space Center to board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-11 mission launch, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission is the eleventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. Cardman, Fincke, Yui, Platonov are scheduled to launch at 12:09 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. (Photo by Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images)

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.