Four astronauts are set to begin their return journey from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth after their mission was cut short due to a “medical concern” with a crew member.
NASA said it will bring home the crew “earlier than originally planned” depending on weather conditions, marking the first time it has carried out a medical evacuation from the space station.
Officials have not revealed details of the medical issue due to patient privacy, but said the crew member was “stable”.
Dr James Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer, said it was “not an emergency evacuation” but officials were “erring on the side of caution”.
The space agency cancelled the first spacewalk of the year due to the issue.
Crew-11, which is a joint mission with SpaceX, arrived on the ISS last August and was due to return around May this year.
The four members are US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
NASA said the crew is set to splash down off the coast of California at 3.41am, local time, on Thursday after a journey of nearly 11 hours.
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The crew will leave the space station no earlier than 5.05pm Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, which is 10.05pm in the UK.
There’s been a constant presence on the ISS for over 25 years, with astronauts rotating in and out on missions that can last over a year.
