{"id":229635,"date":"2026-01-09T19:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/229635\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T19:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:42:12","slug":"latest-news-on-iss-astronaut-medical-evacuation-nasa-weighs-return-to-earth-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/229635\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest news on ISS astronaut medical evacuation: NASA weighs return to Earth options"},"content":{"rendered":"

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2026-01-09T19:02:45.238Z
\nFormer astronauts weigh-in on ISS situation<\/p>\n

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\"an\n<\/p>\n

Chris Hadfield aboard the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)<\/p>\n

Former Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield posted his thoughts regarding NASA’s recent decision to fly Crew-11 astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) back to Earth due to an ongoing medical issue.<\/p>\n

“Big decision by NASA leadership, with multiple domino impacts on operations, but I\u2019m glad to see, as always, crew health and safety come first,” Hadfield wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Normally, NASA overlaps incoming and outgoing crews aboard the ISS, but with the possibility of evacuating Crew-11 before Crew-12’s arrival, Hadfield voiced confidence. “The Station will be more vulnerable until the replacement crew of 4 can launch, but we have deep experience running the place with just 3 astronauts for a while,” he wrote.<\/p>\n

Former NASA astronaut Ed Lu also weighed in on X<\/a>. “The afflicted space station astronaut … is almost certainly feeling they have let down the crew. We were trained to get the mission done. But I do trust NASA to do the right thing here.”<\/p>\n

It’s still unclear when exactly Crew-11 will depart the station, or when and if NASA will determine an earlier launch date for Crew-12.<\/p>\n

For the first time in the 25-year history of the International Space Station, we\u2019ve had a serious enough medical emergency in space to bring a crew home early. Big decision by @nasa leadership, with multiple domino impacts on operations, but I\u2019m glad to see, as always, crew\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/p3ObJh497DJanuary 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

2026-01-09T17:57:43.067Z
\nISS astronaut evacuation won’t affect Artemis 2 moon launch<\/p>\n

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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman discusses the astronaut medical evacuation plan with reporters at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 8, 2026. (Image credit: NASA\/Joel Kowsky)<\/p>\n

NASA’s plan to rturn the four Crew-11 astronauts home early from the International Space Station and accelerate the launch of their replacement team, Crew-12, from Florida should not impact the agency’s plans to also launch another crew of astronauts to the moon in February.<\/p>\n

NASA chief Jared Isaacman said Thursday that NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, which will launch four astronauts around the moon, will remain on track to launch in early February<\/a>. The mission will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center, where SpaceX will also launch the Crew-12 astronauts. The Crew-11 astronauts will also have to splashdown off the Florida coast before then.<\/p>\n

“These would be totally separate campaigns at this point,” Isaacman said during a Jan. 8 press conference to provide an update on NASA’s decision to end Crew-11 early. “There’s no reason to believe at this point in time that there’d be any overlap that we have to deconflict for.”<\/p>\n

You can read the full story here<\/a> by Staff Writer Josh Dinner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2026-01-09T16:11:48.779Z
\nNASA prepares to return 4 astronauts home early<\/p>\n

NASA is drawing up plans today to return four Crew-11 astronauts to Earth from the International Space Station earlier than planned due to a medical concern with one of the space travelers<\/a>. We will have the latest updates as events unfold here.<\/p>\n

The Crew-11 astronauts are NASA’s Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japan’s Kimuya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. NASA officials canceled a planned Jan. 8 spacewalk<\/a> by Fincke and Cardman due to the medical concern, but the agency has not said which of the four astronauts suffered the medical issue out of privacy concerns.<\/p>\n

The astronaut who suffered the medical issue is in a stable condition, but NASA does want to return them to Earth where they can receive treatment with better care than the conditions on the ISS allow.<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

The crew of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-11 on the International Space Station. Clockwise from top left are: NASA’s Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Russia’s Oleg Platonov and Japan’s Kimiya Yui. (Image credit: NASA)<\/p>\n

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced his decision to bring the Crew-11 astronauts home early on their SpaceX Dragon capsule on Thursday (Jan. 8). The agency is now drawing up plans to both undock the Crew-11 Dragon and splashdown off the Florida coast early, while also accelerating the planned launch of a replacement crew on the SpaceX Crew-12 mission. <\/p>\n

The departure of the Crew-11 astronauts will leave NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two cosmonauts, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, on their own on the ISS. Crew-11 launched to the ISS in August 2025, with Williams and crew launching on a Soyuz rocket in November. <\/p>\n

Watch this space for more updates on this developing story.<\/p>\n

\"Tariq<\/p>\n

Tariq Malik<\/p>\n

Space.com Editor-in-Chief<\/p>\n

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