NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 crew members, Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos, Pilot Mike Fincke of the US, Commander Zena Cardman of the US, and Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui of Japan's JAXA, react as they stand outside the Operations Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US. Reuters
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Firstpost09-01-2026, 11:22

NASA Evacuates ISS Crew: First Medical Emergency in 25 Years

  • NASA cut short the Crew-11 mission due to a medical emergency involving one astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS).
  • This marks the first 'controlled medical evacuation' in the ISS's 25-year history, prompted by a lack of full diagnostic capabilities onboard.
  • The affected astronaut is stable, and the medical issue was not an injury sustained during work on the station.
  • NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and medical officials made the decision to return the crew for proper diagnosis and treatment.
  • The incident also led to the cancellation of the year's first spacewalk, planned by astronauts Fincke and Cardman.

Why It Matters: A medical emergency forced NASA's first-ever ISS crew evacuation, highlighting unique challenges of space health.

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