CONFIRMED: NASA’s Crew-11 To Make Early Return to Earth After ‘Serious Medical Condition’ With Astronaut (VIDEO)
Medical emergency in space.
Once again, an emergency in space makes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) change its plans in an urgent fashion, after two astronauts were left stranded in orbit by a faulty Boeing Starliner craft.
This time, a ‘serious medical condition’ with a crew member aboard the International Space Station will make NASA bring the astronaut and the three crewmates back to Earth months earlier than planned.
This is the first emergency of its kind in the ISS’ 25-year history.
Decision is to return Crew 11 in the next few days, this is the first time a NASA mission has been cut short due to astronaut health. pic.twitter.com/M6Du52Poks
— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) January 8, 2026
Reuters reported:
“NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters on Thursday in a short-notice press conference in Washington that he and medical officials made the decision to return the astronaut, whom he did not identify, because ‘the capability to diagnose and treat this properly does not live on the International Space Station’.”
Crew-11 (Dragon Endeavour) will return ahead of schedule due to a medical issue “in the coming days”.https://t.co/aXlukWr97C pic.twitter.com/oIM8YhcrjF
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) January 8, 2026
NASA would not mention which astronaut is having the health issue nor describe its nature, because of the crew member’s medical privacy.
“NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer James Polk said ‘this was not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations’, meaning it did not happen while the astronaut was working.
NASA on Wednesday afternoon called off a planned spacewalk with two U.S. astronauts that had been scheduled for Thursday over what it described as a ‘medical concern’ with an astronaut, later saying in a midnight statement that it was considering ending the astronaut’s rotation mission early.”
Four astronauts will return from the International Space Station more than a month early after an unnamed crew member experienced a medical issue https://t.co/NQXLGF1gok
— CNN International (@cnni) January 9, 2026
The Crew-11 is made by U.S. astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
They have been in orbit since August, and were only scheduled to return to Earth around May this year.
“NASA’s astronaut corps regards medical situations on the ISS as closely held secrets, and astronauts rarely acknowledge or describe publicly their medical conditions.”
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