space
NASA orders “controlled medical evacuation” from the International Space Station
“The crew is highly trained, and they came to the aid of their colleague right away.”
TL;DR
- Four of seven crew members on the International Space Station (ISS) Crew-11 mission are being brought back to Earth early due to a medical situation.
- NASA states the affected astronaut is stable but the agency is prioritizing caution.
- The mission was originally scheduled to return around February 20, but the departure will occur in the coming days.
- The entire crew must return together as they rely on the same SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for transport.
- NASA is not releasing specific details about the medical issue due to privacy concerns.
- This is the first controlled medical evacuation from a spacecraft in NASA's history.
- The ISS will operate with a reduced crew of three until the arrival of the next mission, Crew-12.