Four International Space Station crew members made history this week with the first-ever medical evacuation from the orbiting laboratory, cutting their mission short by one month. The multinational team – including American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui – undocked from the ISS on Wednesday following five months in space.
NASA confirmed the decision stemmed from an undisclosed health issue affecting one crew member, though officials emphasized the situation remains non-emergency. "The crew was and continues to be in stable condition," stated NASA spokesperson Rob Navias during a briefing. The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the Crew-11 members is scheduled to splash down off California's coast early Thursday.
Mission pilot Mike Fincke addressed public concerns via social media: "This was a deliberate decision to allow proper medical evaluations where full diagnostic capabilities exist. It's the right call." The crew had originally been scheduled to remain aboard until mid-February 2026.
Three crew members – American astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev – will maintain station operations. NASA's Chief Health Officer Dr. James Polk noted the early return resulted from "lingering diagnostic questions" requiring Earth-based analysis, underscoring the unique challenges of space medicine.
