Update:
On Jan. 12, 2026, NASA announces four astronauts will return to Earth from the International Space Station early due to a medical issue concerning one of the Crew-11 astronauts. This is the first time NASA has performed a medical evacuation. It will not interfere with the Artemis 2 moon mission.
NASA is considering evacuating the International Space Station due to an unspecified medical issue involving one of the astronauts.
According to a spokeswoman for NASA, the astronaut is in stable condition. She stated, “Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11’s mission.” She assured the public that NASA and partners are trained and prepared for a safe evacuation and updates will be released as they become available.
Crew-11 is composed of four astronauts: Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
Historically, NASA has never brought an astronaut home for medical reasons. ISS has an evacuation plan for every mission and crew return vehicles are kept on standby.
This announcement followed the cancellation of Thursday’s scheduled spacewalk due to the medical issue. At this time, the spacewalk will be rescheduled. This is a rare occurrence for NASA. In 2021 Mark Vande Hei was struggling with a pinched nerve and unable to participate in a spacewalk. In 2024, another spacewalk was postponed due to “spacesuit discomfort.”
All preparations for the spacewalk ran smoothly yesterday but later in the day, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata was heard requesting a private medical conference with a flight surgeon. Wakata arrived at the station via s Soyuz spacecraft in November and assisted in reviewing spacewalk procedures.
Medical conferences are a routine part of ISS operations. This is confidential and allows astronauts to express matters of health, therefore, it is unclear if the conference request was due to the medical issue in question. It is also unknown if the medical concern involved one of the astronauts scheduled for the spacewalk
By Jeanette Vietti
Source:
Daily Mail: Medical emergency in space forces NASA to consider evacuation for astronauts aboard ISS
Featured Image by Shane Kimbrough Courtesy of NASA’s Marshall Space Center Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
