The affected crew member is reportedly stable, space expert Brad Tucker told Sunrise on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The situation \u2014 a first for the space agency \u2014 has been unfolding for at least a week and a half, Tucker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe medical issue clearly wasn\u2019t so urgent that they immediately evacuated,\u201d Tucker told Sunrise.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you obviously don\u2019t have all of the diagnostic equipment or treatment on board the space station so, you can\u2019t just leave it for another month.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA has not revealed which of the four crew members is impacted or the nature of the medical emergency, but Tucker said it does seem it is not a space-related illness.<\/p>\n
The crew comprises two Americans, a Japanese astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut.<\/p>\n
All four astronauts must return together or the remaining crew could risk being stranded at the station without escape.<\/p>\n
![\"Four](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/d3011a74e10083f0ba612ecea6d15bc91fc1781a.png\")
Four crew members being returned early from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA<\/p>\n
The crew are beginning preparations over the next 24 hours, with undocking scheduled for about 9am tomorrow.<\/p>\n
The journey will take about 10 hours to 12 hours, with the crew landing just off the coast of California.<\/p>\n
The return is not without its logistical challenges.<\/p>\n
It is not as simple as just bringing forward future missions, with important testing needed before departure from Earth, so the ISS will operate under a skeleton crew of just three people for a month.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real run-on effect by this decision, which they didn\u2019t take lightly,\u201d Tucker said.<\/p>\n
Returning astronauts typically experience severe physical effects after months in space, including blood pooling from the brain and feelings of nausea as their bodies readjust to Earth\u2019s gravity, potentially adding to the stress of the already unwell member.<\/p>\n