NASA has decided to end a mission on the International Space Station prematurely due to a medical emergency involving one of the astronauts. The U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four will return to Earth sooner than originally planned, with NASA canceling the first spacewalk of the year as a result of the health issue. The agency has not disclosed the identity of the affected astronaut or the nature of the medical problem, citing privacy concerns, but has confirmed that the crew member is in stable condition.
Currently, seven astronauts are residing and conducting operations on the space station, with the most recent crew arriving in August following a launch from Florida. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commended the agency’s quick response in ensuring the well-being and safety of the astronauts during a news conference on Thursday.
The crew that is returning home arrived at the space station in August onboard a SpaceX mission for a planned stay of at least six months. This crew consisted of U.S. astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Cardman and Fincke were scheduled to perform a spacewalk to prepare for the installation of additional solar panels to enhance the station’s power supply.
Mike Fincke has visited the space station four times, while Kimiya Yui has been there twice. Zena Cardman and Oleg Platonov embarked on their first spaceflight on this mission. Concurrently, three other astronauts, including NASA’s Chris Williams and Russia’s Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, are currently stationed on the space station following their launch in November aboard a Soyuz rocket for an eight-month mission, with plans to return home in the summer.