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An astronaut crew has to return to Earth early due to a medical incident. (archive photo)
Bild: -/Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP/dpa
For the first time in the history of the International Space Station (ISS), the US space agency Nasa is bringing a crew of four astronauts back to Earth early due to a crew member's health problems. Nasa made the announcement at a press conference.
Nasa is aborting a mission on board the International Space Station (ISS) due to a crew member's health problem. The four-member crew from the USA, Japan and Russia will return to Earth in the coming days, earlier than planned, the US space agency announced on Thursday.
It did not give the astronaut's name or details of the health problem, citing the need to protect the patient's privacy. However, the crew member concerned is now stable, it said.
Due to the medical issue, Nasa canceled a planned first extravehicular activity of the year.
The four-member crew, who are now returning to Earth, were launched to the ISS in a SpaceX spacecraft in August and were due to stay there for at least six months. The crew included Nasa astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke as well as Kimiya Yui from Japan and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
Fincke and Cardman were to carry out the extravehicular activity in order to make preparations for the future installation of solar panels to provide additional power for the space station.
According to Nasa, it was Fincke's fourth stay on the ISS and the second for astronaut Yui. It was the first space flight for Cardman and Platonov.
Three other astronauts are also currently living and working on board the space station, including Nasa astronaut Chris Williams and cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov. They were launched on board a Soyuz rocket in November for an eight-month stay and are due to return to Earth in the summer.
08.01.2026, 23:50
