NASA is ending a mission on the International Space Station prematurely due to a medical emergency involving one of the astronauts. The space agency announced on Thursday that the four-member U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew will return to Earth earlier than scheduled in the upcoming days.
As a result of the health issue, NASA called off its first spacewalk of the year. The astronaut’s identity and specific medical condition were not disclosed to respect privacy, but the individual is reported to be in stable condition. Currently, seven astronauts are residing and working on the space station, with the most recent crew arriving in August following a launch from Florida.
During a Thursday news briefing, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman commended the swift actions taken across the agency to ensure the astronauts’ safety. The crew set to return home in August had arrived at the space station via SpaceX for a mission lasting at least six months. The group comprised U.S. astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
Originally, Cardman and Fincke were slated to conduct a spacewalk to prepare for the installation of new solar panels to enhance the station’s power supply. This mission marked Fincke’s fourth visit to the space station, while Yiu had previously been there once. For Cardman and Platonov, this voyage represented their inaugural spaceflight.
At present, three other astronauts are stationed on the space station, including NASA’s Chris Williams and Russia’s Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who embarked on their mission in November aboard a Soyuz rocket for an eight-month stay, with plans to return in the summer.