NASA has announced the exact dates of the first medical evacuation in the history of the International Space Station. The four astronauts of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission will leave orbit on January 14, 2026, and splash down off the coast of California during the night of January 15. The agency reported this on Friday evening.

Return plan

The Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft will undock from the ISS on January 14 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (22:00 GMT). Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean is scheduled for 3:40 am on January 15 (08:40 GMT). The schedule depends on weather conditions in the landing zone.

The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, arrived at the station on August 2, 2025. Their mission was originally planned to last six months, but a medical issue affecting one of the crew members made an earlier return necessary.

The problem arose on January 7, on the eve of a planned spacewalk by Fincke and Cardman, which was subsequently postponed. NASA has not disclosed the astronaut’s identity or diagnosis, citing confidentiality. Chief Medical Officer James Polk explained that the situation was not related to operations and was not caused by an injury sustained during work. He said it was primarily a medical issue occurring under the complex conditions of microgravity, where diagnostic equipment is limited.

The first medical evacuation in the history of the ISS

The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2000, and in a quarter of a century this is the first time a crew has returned early for medical reasons. Polk noted that statistical models had predicted incidents of this type to occur roughly once every three years.

After Crew-11 departs, a “skeleton” crew of three will remain on the station: American astronaut Christopher Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, who arrived aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on November 27. Williams will become the only representative of NASA on board.

NASA Deputy Administrator Amit Kshatriya stated that the situation was under control. He emphasized that Williams is trained to perform all necessary tasks on the station and added that most operations are primarily managed from Earth, where thousands of specialists support the crew. He also noted that the Russian crew members can assist if needed.

Temporary operating mode of the station

Reducing the crew from seven to three people is not unprecedented for the ISS. Until 2009, the station operated with a three-person crew on a regular basis. However, this is now only a temporary measure. Crew-12 is scheduled to launch in mid-February, and NASA is considering the possibility of moving the launch earlier.

In the coming weeks, the volume of scientific work will be reduced, and spacewalks will be impossible because they require at least two people. The station will also be more vulnerable to emergency situations.

In brief

Crew-11 will return to Earth on January 14–15, 2026, marking the first medical evacuation in the history of the ISS. The reason is a medical condition affecting one of the astronauts that requires diagnosis on Earth and is not related to a spacewalk. After their departure, three people will remain on the station, including one American astronaut. Crew-12 is expected to launch in February. NASA stresses that the situation is stable and under control, although it is unprecedented in the station’s 25-year history.