SpaceX’s Crew-11 is returning from the International Space Station (ISS) early due to a medical concern with one of its astronauts. It’s the first recorded case in which NASA has decided to bring home a crew member ahead of time due to a health issue.

NASA gave the go for the SpaceX Crew-11 mission to depart the International Space Station on Wednesday headed for an overnight splashdown back on Earth in the Pacific Ocean.

Fincke, Cardman, Yui and Platonov launched toward the ISS on Aug. 1, 2025, kicking off SpaceX's Crew-11 mission to the orbiting lab for NASA. Ordinarily, such crew-rotation flights last about six months, ending a few days after their successors arrive at the ISS. But something out of the ordinary happened during Crew-11's home stretch.

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NASA said the four crew members returned to Earth early Thursday after one of them experienced a medical situation on the International Space Station.

Crew-11 is scheduled to depart the orbiting lab on Wednesday (Jan. 14) at 5:05 p.m. EST (2205 GMT). On Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 14), SpaceX's Crew-11 mission will perform the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS).

The four-person crew from NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station safely splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego County early Thursday morning.

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