Some Things Go Wrong.

No matter how well you plan, some things go wrong.

NASA has conducted the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS), cutting short the Crew-11 mission due to a serious but undisclosed medical condition affecting one of the astronauts. The affected astronaut, whose identity remains confidential due to privacy protocols, was stable but required medical care not available in microgravity. The decision to return early was announced on January 8, 2026, after a planned spacewalk was canceled due to health concerns.

On January 15, 2026, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endeavour splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California, bringing back all four Crew-11 members: NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the crew is safe and in good spirits, with the affected astronaut doing well after medical evaluation.

The incident marks the first time in the ISS’s 25-year history that a crew mission was ended early for medical reasons.

The remaining crew of three—NASA’s Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov—will continue operations until the next crew arrives in February.