Astronauts land back on Earth due to ‘medical concern’

By Dean Murray

Astronauts from the International Space Station have safely returned to Earth on Thursday, Jan. 15, after NASA decided to bring the crew home early due to a "medical concern."

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavor spacecraft landed off the coast of San Diego before being raised aboard the recovery ship Shannon.

NASA said: "Welcome home to Crew-11! NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov have returned to Earth, splashing down off the coast of California after spending 167 days in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station."

The early return follows NASA’s announcement last week, postponing a planned spacewalk originally scheduled for January 8.

The agency said it was monitoring a medical concern involving a crew member aboard the station. While details were not disclosed, citing privacy, NASA confirmed the situation remains stable.

In an earlier update, NASA said the issue involved a single crew member and that mission safety was its highest priority.

Officials said all options were evaluated, including the possibility of an early return, adding that such contingencies are part of standard training for missions conducted with international partners.

NASA added: "These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely."