Astronauts splash down on Earth after first-ever ISS medical evacuation
Four astronauts end their mission early so that a crew member can receive medical treatment.
A SpaceX capsule transporting four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after completing the first-ever medical evacuation in the orbital lab’s history, video footage from NASA has shown.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, known as the “Endeavour”, began its 10-and-a-half-hour descent from orbit at 22:30 GMT on Wednesday and landed off the coast of San Diego, California, at 12:41am local time (08:41 GMT) on Thursday.
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The video feed from NASA showed the landing of the capsule carrying American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui.
The group spent 167 days on board the space station conducting a long-duration science mission as part of SpaceX’s 11th crewed mission. They were also part of NASA’s Expedition 74, which began on December 8.
NASA announced on January 8 that the SpaceX-Crew 11’s mission would be ending earlier than planned due to a serious medical condition among one of the crew members. The mission was originally due to end in late February.
The agency did not disclose further details, citing crew privacy, but NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer James Polk later said it was not related to space station operations. The medical incident is the first of its kind in NASA’s history.
“Always we err on the side of the astronaut’s health and welfare, and in this particular case, we are doing the same,” Polk said.
Fincke, a retired US Air Force colonel who led Expedition 74, wrote on Instagram that it was the right decision to end the SpaceX mission early, according to the Reuters news agency.
“This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists. It’s the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet,” Fincke wrote.
NASA on Wednesday livestreamed the Endeavour closing its hatch, undocking from the space station, and slowly drifting away late on Wednesday, more than 400 kilometres (248 miles) above Australia.
Photos of the event shared by the ISS on social media showed the four astronauts checking their black- and-white Dragon pressure suits as they prepared for departure.
Following the departure of SpaceX Crew-11, two Russian and one NASA astronaut will remain at the space station to carry on Expedition 74.
The next SpaceX Crew-12 mission is preparing to depart in February to bring more crew back to the space station.
