Four astronauts are being evacuated from the International Space Station due to a crew member experiencing a “serious medical condition.” Video footage captured the four members of Crew-11 boarding the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft before the space station hatch was sealed. NASA announced the early return of the US-Japanese-Russian crew members following the medical incident.
NASA had to abort its initial spacewalk of the year as a result of the health concern, maintaining confidentiality regarding the affected astronaut and the specific medical issue. Despite the setback, the crew member is reported to be in stable condition.
The returning crew includes NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov, who arrived at the space station via SpaceX in August for a planned six-month stay. Their spacecraft is scheduled to splashdown on Earth at 8:41am UK time.
The evacuation marks the first instance of such a measure being taken from the space station in 25 years due to a medical emergency. Prior to space travel, astronauts undergo comprehensive medical evaluations. The evacuated astronauts were set to conduct a spacewalk to prepare for installing additional solar panels for enhanced power supply to the space station.
“I’m proud of the swift effort across the agency thus far to ensure the safety of our astronauts,” stated NASA administrator Jared Isaacman. Meanwhile, three astronauts remain on the space station, including NASA’s Chris Williams and Russia’s Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, set to return home in the summer after an eight-month mission.