In a groundbreaking medical evacuation, four astronauts have safely left the International Space Station (ISS) after a mission planned in under a week.

Departing aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule, the astronauts disconnected from the ISS at 5:20 p.m. ET, embarking on a roughly 10-hour journey to the designated re-entry point above the United States, scheduled for early Thursday morning.

The Dragon capsule, carrying NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, is expected to make a splashdown near California’s coast at approximately 3:41 a.m. on January 15.

The re-entry process, set for around 2:50 a.m., will involve a brief engine burn to slow the capsule enough for Earth’s gravity to guide it back down.

According to SpaceX and NASA officials, the Dragon capsule’s automated systems will manage the entire re-entry sequence.

Shortly after detaching from the ISS, the Dragon capsule conducted two engine maneuvers to safely distance itself from the station, moving beyond the ‘Keep Out Sphere’—a protective area designed to avoid collisions during docking and departure.

Crew-11 were not set to return to Earth for another month, but one crew member suffered a serious medical issue on January 7, forcing the cancellation of a planned spacewalk. 

While the astronaut who suffered the medical episode was not revealed, NASA’s chief medical officer Dr James Polk said they were in stable condition and was not in any immediate danger.

This is a breaking story. More details to follow. 

The SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying Crew-11 undocked from the International Space Station at 5.20pm ET on Wednesday

Crew-11 entered the SpaceX Dragon capsule Wednesday afternoon, closing the spacecraft’s hatch at 2.29pm ET

New NASA administrator Jared Isaacman decided to bring the crew home early out of an abundance of caution, noting that astronaut’s medical episode was considered ‘serious’ and would require additional medical care on Earth. 

This is the first time a crew on board the ISS has had their mission ended early due to medical reasons. 

However, Dr Polk noted that the astronaut’s medical condition had nothing to do with an upcoming spacewalk on January 8 that was cancelled or any other operations on board the station. 

‘It’s mostly having a medical issue in the difficult areas of microgravity,’ Polk explained without going into specifics at a January 8 press conference. 

Crew-11 arrived at the ISS on August 1, 2025, meaning their return date had been scheduled for late February.

The four astronauts were supposed to leave after Crew-12 arrived on a new SpaceX Dragon capsule no earlier than February 15.

Until their arrival, a group including NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who arrived at the ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in November 2025, will be maintaining the station.

Isaacman said that any decision to potentially move up the launch of Crew-12 would not impact the upcoming Artemis II mission planned for February 2026.

Crew-11 before leaving the ISS. Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov (Back left), NASA astronaut Mike Fincke (Front left), JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui (Front right), and NASA’s Zena Cardman (Back right)

The SpaceX Dragon capsule (Pictured) which carried Crew-11 was docked at the ISS since August 2025

He called the two launches ‘totally separate campaigns,’ meaning there should be no issue in launching Artemis on time. Artemis II will be the first manned spaceflight to orbit the moon since 1972.

Just 10 months ago, SpaceX and NASA carried out a historic rescue mission to retrieve astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stranded on the ISS for 286 days after their Boeing spacecraft Starliner malfunctioned.

A Thursday morning press conference has already been scheduled once Crew-11 returns safety to Earth.

Crew-11 completed two successful engine burns after leaving the station and exited the ‘Keep Out Zone’ around ISS roughly 20 minutes after departure on Wednesday