Astronauts return to Earth in first-ever NASA medical space evacuation

Four astronauts, including one who had developed a health problem last week, splashed down in the Pacific overnight. ITV News Science Correspondent Martin Stew reports

A group of astronauts has returned to Earth in a Pacific Ocean splashdown, in the first-ever medical evacuation carried out by NASA.

The decision cut the team’s mission short by over a month, following their launch into space in August.

The sick astronaut’s identity or condition hasn’t been disclosed, but NASA said it was not an emergency situation.

The group, comprising of astronauts from the US, Russia and Japan, came back to Earth in a SpaceX capsule from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, landing off the coast of San Diego.

It is the first time NASA has had to take such a move in 65 years of spaceflight.

Speaking at a news conference shortly after the four astronauts disembarked the spacecraft, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said the “crew member of concern is doing fine” and that an update on their health will be given “when it is appropriate to do so”.

He said that all four members would be taken to hospital for “standard” medical checks and were expected to leave hospital together later.

Isaacman said that the crew spent more than 850 hours on scientific studies that advanced the “understanding of long-duration space flight”.

The team of astronauts who were evacuated by NASA. / Credit: AP

He would not give any details of the medical issue that prompted the crew’s early return nor identify which member of the crew was affected, citing “medical privacy consideration”.

“To be overwhelmingly clear, Crew-11 was a very successful mission,” he said.

The unwell astronaut was “stable, safe and well cared for,” outgoing space station commander Mike Fincke said earlier this week on social media.

“This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists,” he added.

Speaking on their departure, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman said: “Our timing of this departure is unexpected, but what was not surprising to me was how well this crew came together as a family to help each other and just take care of each other.”

NASA said it was riskier to leave the astronaut in space without proper medical attention for another month than to temporarily reduce the size of the space station crew by more than half.

The return of Michael Fincke, Zena Cardman, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov came less than 11 hours after the SpaceX capsule undocked from the ISS.

Last week, Yui celebrated his 300th day in space over two station stays, sharing stunning views of Earth, including Japan’s Mount Fuji and breathtaking auroras.

“I want to burn it firmly into my eyes, and even more so, into my heart,” he said on the social platform X.

“Soon, I too will become one of those small lights on the ground.”