NASA announced on Thursday that it plans to return four out of seven crew members from the International Space Station (ISS) due to a medical situation involving one of them earlier this week. Although the agency has not disclosed which astronaut is affected, James “JD” Polk, NASA's chief health and medical officer, confirmed the individual is 'absolutely stable.' However, NASA has decided to act cautiously by expediting their return to Earth.
The astronaut facing health issues is part of the Crew-11 mission, which was initially scheduled to return around February 20. The team will now depart from the ISS in the coming days, aiming for re-entry and a parachute-assisted landing in the Pacific Ocean near California.
'After discussions with our chief health and medical officer, Dr. JD Polk, and leadership across the agency, I’ve decided it’s in the best interests of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure,' announced NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.
Leading the Crew-11 mission is Commander Zena Cardman, 38, on her first space mission. The crew also includes Pilot Mike Fincke, a 58-year-old veteran on his fourth spaceflight, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, 55, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, 39.
Isaacman noted that NASA will provide more details regarding the Crew-11’s schedule for undocking and return within the next 48 hours. They will use the same SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft they arrived in over five months ago. Due to the reliance on this spacecraft as a lifeboat, all crew members must return together.
'For over 60 years, NASA has set the standard for safety in crewed spaceflight,' Isaacman stated. 'The health and well-being of our astronauts is always our highest priority.'
JD Polk, who has been NASA’s chief medical officer since 2016, refrained from providing details about the medical situation due to privacy concerns. He mentioned, 'I’m not going to speak about any particular astronaut or any specific diagnosis. I’d ask that we still respect the privacy of the astronaut.'