NASA is ending a current ISS mission early after one crew member developed a medical issue; the astronaut is stable and their identity is being kept private. The four-person U.S.–Japanese–Russian team, which arrived in August aboard a SpaceX capsule, will return to Earth in the coming days and a planned spacewalk has been canceled as a precaution. Officials said this is the first early return from the station for a medical reason and emphasized there was no onboard emergency.
NASA Ends ISS Mission Early After Astronaut Falls Ill; Affected Crew Member Stable
NASA canceled its first spacewalk of 2026, during which astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman were scheduled to prepare the station for future solar panel upgrades, following a crew member's medical issue. ©Image Credit: NASA / unsplash.com
NASA has announced it will end a current International Space Station (ISS) mission early after one crew member developed a medical issue. Agency officials described the decision as precautionary and uncommon; the affected astronaut is reported to be stable, and their identity has been withheld for medical privacy.
Officials emphasized the situation was not treated as an onboard emergency, but NASA canceled the mission’s first scheduled spacewalk of the year and moved quickly to begin preparations for the crew’s return to Earth in the coming days. Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer, said the agency is "erring on the side of caution for the crew member." Polk added that this is the first time NASA has brought astronauts home early from the station for a medical reason, though minor health issues have been treated in orbit in the past.
The four-person crew arrived at the station in August aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. It includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Fincke and Cardman had been scheduled to conduct a spacewalk to prepare the station for future solar panel upgrades; that activity has been postponed.
For Fincke, this represented his fourth stay aboard the ISS; it was Yui’s second mission, while Cardman and Platonov were on their first spaceflights. Three other crew members remain aboard the station: NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who arrived in November and are scheduled to return to Earth this summer.
Separately, NASA continues long-range planning for the outpost’s retirement by the end of the decade. The agency has contracted SpaceX to help guide the laboratory to a controlled reentry over a remote ocean area around 2030 or 2031.
"We’re erring on the side of caution for the crew member," said Dr. James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer.
Agency officials praised the coordinated, rapid response across teams to ensure crew safety and to manage the mission adjustment with minimal risk. NASA will provide additional updates as the return timeline and landing details are finalized.
Help us improve.
