Crew 11 Returning Early After Medical Concern; Commander Calls Decision "Bittersweet" but "Right Call"

Astronaut Mike Fincke, commander of the International Space Station and a member of Crew 11, said Sunday that he and his crewmates are "stable, safe and well cared for" after NASA ordered the team home early because of a medical concern.

In a LinkedIn post, Fincke, 58, said he and crewmates Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov "are all OK" and that NASA's decision to end their mission ahead of schedule was "the right call, even if it's a bit bittersweet." He added that the crew is "looking forward to coming home soon — back to our loved ones and to resolving any medical questions with the best care available."

Planned Return Timeline and Procedure

If operations proceed as planned, Crew 11 will say farewell to three station colleagues and undock from the outpost at about 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Early Thursday, at approximately 2:50 a.m., the Crew Dragon's braking rockets are scheduled to fire to slow the capsule for reentry. Splashdown off the coast of Southern California is expected around 3:40 a.m.

After splashdown, the crew will undergo medical checks aboard a SpaceX recovery ship and then be flown to shore by helicopter. A NASA aircraft will transport them back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for follow-up evaluation and care.

Why NASA Cut the Mission Short

NASA announced last Friday that Crew 11 had been told to cut their mission short after a crew member reported a medical issue the previous day. The affected astronaut has not been identified, and details of the medical concern remain private under longstanding medical confidentiality rules.

"This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists," Fincke wrote, noting the crew's preparation for return — including checking pressure suits — reflected a calm, methodical process.

James Polk, NASA's chief medical officer, said the agency was "erring on the side of caution" and emphasized the decision was not an emergency evacuation but a precaution taken in the crew member's best interest. Polk also noted that statistical analyses had long projected a medical evacuation roughly every three years, and this is the first time NASA has shortened a mission for a medical issue since such human spaceflight records have been kept.

Station Command and Upcoming Crew Movements

Fincke is scheduled to hand over command of the station to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov during a brief ceremony on Monday. After Crew 11 departs, Kud-Sverchkov and his Soyuz MS-28 crewmates — Sergey Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams — will temporarily have the station to themselves.

Crew 12, led by commander Jessica Meir with Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, remains officially scheduled to launch on Feb. 15, though NASA is working to move that target up by a few days if possible.

Fincke concluded his post by praising the rapid, professional response of flight surgeons, engineers, managers and international partners: "What stands out most to me is how clearly NASA cares about its people. The ground teams have been extraordinary. We're proud of the joint work we've done and the camaraderie we've shared."