A scheduled mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has been unexpectedly shortened after a crew member experienced a medical issue, prompting NASA to act with caution.
Mission Abbreviated as Precaution
NASA announced on Thursday that the four-person crew, comprising astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia, will now return to Earth in the coming days, ahead of their original schedule. The space agency has also cancelled the year's first planned spacewalk as a direct result of the health concern.
In line with medical privacy protocols, NASA has not disclosed the identity of the astronaut involved nor the specific nature of the medical issue. Officials have confirmed, however, that the individual is now in a stable condition.
"It's not an emergency evacuation, but we are erring on the side of caution for the crew member," stated Dr. James Polk, NASA's chief health and medical officer, emphasising the proactive approach taken by mission control.
Crew Details and Impacted Operations
The affected crew arrived at the orbiting laboratory in August aboard a SpaceX spacecraft for a planned six-month stay. The team includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan's Kimiya Yui and Russia's Oleg Platonov.
This mission marked the first spaceflight for both Cardman and Platonov. For Fincke, it was his fourth visit to the ISS, and for Yui, his second.
The postponed spacewalk was to have been conducted by Fincke and Cardman. Their task was to undertake preparatory work for a future installation of new solar arrays, designed to boost the space station's power capacity.
"I'm proud of the swift effort across the agency thus far to ensure the safety of our astronauts," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, commending the coordinated response.
Station Operations Continue
While this crew prepares for an early departure, the ISS remains occupied and operational. Three other astronauts—NASA's Chris Williams and Russia's Sergei Mikayev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov—continue their work aboard. They launched in November for an eight-month residency and are scheduled to return home in the summer.
In a separate long-term plan, NASA has contracted SpaceX to safely deorbit the ISS in late 2030 or early 2031, with the structure intended to make a controlled re-entry over an ocean area.
