NASA is evaluating the possibility of an early return for the Crew 11 team aboard the International Space Station (ISS) following a medical concern involving one of its four members. While the astronaut is reported to be stable, the situation prompted the abrupt cancellation of a planned spacewalk on Wednesday.
A NASA spokesperson confirmed that mission managers are assessing whether bringing the entire Crew 11 team back to Earth months ahead of schedule is the safest course of action. Three members of another crew currently aboard the ISS would remain in orbit.
“Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew 11’s mission,” the spokesperson said.
The medical issue surfaced just hours before astronauts were set to conduct the spacewalk, leading NASA to halt the activity. Due to medical privacy, the agency has not disclosed additional details about the affected crew member.
Crew 11 consists of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui from the JAXA space agency, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They launched to the ISS in August 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon and were originally scheduled to remain in orbit for approximately six months, returning around late February 2026.
If NASA decides on an early return, all four members of Crew 11 would come home together, ensuring no team member is left behind, according to Dr. Simeon Barber, a space scientist at the Open University.
The ISS is equipped with medical supplies and secure communication systems that allow Earth-based doctors to monitor astronauts, provide guidance, and advise treatment remotely. While an early return would temporarily delay some experiments and maintenance, Barber explained that the remaining crew would focus on essential operations and station upkeep until the new team arrives.
“The space station is a complex engineering feat, designed to operate with a minimum crew. If Crew 11 were to return early, the remaining team would concentrate on housekeeping and keeping the station functional while awaiting the full crew complement,” Barber said.
NASA continues to monitor the situation closely, prioritizing crew safety while weighing mission continuity.
