Emergency on ISS: NASA may return crew to Earth early
Kyiv • UNN
NASA is evaluating the possibility of an early termination of the Crew-11 mission on the ISS due to medical issues with one of the astronauts. The agency has postponed a spacewalk and is considering returning the crew to Earth.
NASA is evaluating the possibility of an early termination of the Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station due to medical issues of one of the astronauts. This is reported by Space, according to UNN.
Details
On Wednesday afternoon (January 7), NASA announced the postponement of a spacewalk scheduled for Thursday (January 8) outside the ISS due to an astronaut's "medical issues." The agency did not name the astronaut or share details about their condition, citing confidentiality concerns, but noted that the situation is stable, the publication writes.
However, despite the astronaut's stable condition, NASA stated that it is considering all possible scenarios, including an early return of the crew to Earth.
"Safely conducting our missions is our top priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an early termination of the Crew-11 mission. These are situations that NASA and our partners prepare for and train to execute safely. We will provide further updates within the next 24 hours."
Details
Crew-11 is the latest SpaceX astronaut mission to the ISS, comprising Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke from NASA, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov from the Russian space agency "Roscosmos."
Recall
NASA has been unable to re-establish contact with the MAVEN probe for almost a month, which disappeared in Mars' orbit on December 6, 2025. Telemetry analysis indicates an unplanned rotation of the spacecraft, and resuscitation attempts have been suspended until January 16, 2026, due to an astronomical phenomenon.