NASA Ends ISS Mission Early After Astronaut Health Issue

NASA has decided to end a mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) earlier than planned after one astronaut experienced a medical issue.

The U.S. space agency announced on Thursday that a four-member crew, consisting of American, Japanese, and Russian astronauts, will return to Earth in the coming days. The mission was originally scheduled to last at least six months.

Due to the health concern, NASA also canceled its first planned spacewalk of the year. The agency did not reveal the identity of the astronaut or details about the medical condition, citing patient privacy. NASA confirmed that the astronaut is now in stable condition.

At present, seven astronauts are living and working aboard the ISS. The affected crew arrived at the space station in August after launching from Florida aboard a SpaceX spacecraft.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency acted quickly to protect astronaut safety. “I’m proud of the swift effort across the agency to ensure the safety of our astronauts,” he said during a press briefing.

The returning crew includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Fincke and Cardman were scheduled to conduct a spacewalk to prepare the station for the future installation of new solar panels aimed at increasing power supply.

This mission marked Fincke’s fourth visit to the ISS and Yui’s second. For Cardman and Platonov, it was their first spaceflight.

Meanwhile, three other astronauts—NASA’s Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov—remain aboard the space station. They launched in November aboard a Soyuz rocket and are expected to return to Earth in the summer.

NASA has already announced plans to safely retire the International Space Station by late 2030 or early 2031. SpaceX has been selected to help guide the station out of orbit, with a controlled reentry planned over the ocean.