NASA Considers Whether To Bring Crew Back From ISS After Medical Issue Cancels-Spacewalk
NASA is considering bringing a crew back from the International Space Station earlier than planned after a medical issue involving one astronaut led to the sudden cancellation of a spacewalk.
The space agency called off a 6.5-hour spacewalk just hours before it was due to take place on Thursday, saying one member of the four-person Crew-11 team had become unwell. NASA has not named the astronaut, citing medical privacy, but said the person is in a stable condition.
“Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11's mission,” a NASA spokeswoman said.
Crew-11 has been on the ISS since August 2025 after launching aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The team — NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov — were originally expected to stay in orbit for around six months.
Fincke, the station’s commander, and Cardman, the flight engineer, were set to carry out the cancelled spacewalk to install hardware on the outside of the station. Spacewalks are among the riskiest tasks astronauts perform and are often called off if anything appears out of the ordinary. NASA has done the same in the past over issues such as “spacesuit discomfort” or minor injuries.
Mission managers are now assessing whether the affected astronaut can safely remain on the station or whether the entire crew should return to Earth together. If that happens, three astronauts from another mission would remain on board to keep the station running.
Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University, said an early return would likely involve all four Crew-11 members coming home at the same time. “They would all come back together as a team, because, you don't want to leave one or more team member behind,” he said.
The ISS is equipped with basic medical gear and allows astronauts to consult privately with doctors on Earth, similar to a secure remote GP appointment. Even so, cutting a mission short would mean scaling back some science work until a replacement crew arrives.
“If Crew-11 were to return early, what the remaining crew would have to do is dial back on some of the more experimental work and focus more just on the housekeeping and keeping the station healthy,” Barber explained.
NASA said it is coordinating next steps and plans to provide more information within the next 24 hours. There has been a continuous human presence on the ISS for more than 25 years, with crews regularly rotating in missions that usually last between six and eight months.
