NASA is assessing whether to conclude SpaceX Crew-11’s stay on the International Space Station ahead of schedule after a crew medical issue. The astronaut is described by the agency as stable, but mission control cancelled a planned spacewalk and is now reviewing options with programme partners to determine the safest path.
NASA cancelled Thursday’s extravehicular activity with two astronauts after the issue emerged on Wednesday. In line with agency privacy rules, no medical details have been released, and managers are prioritising crew safety while contingency plans are modelled.
The four-person Crew-11 comprises NASA’s Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui of JAXA, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They launched on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in August 2025 for a roughly six‑month rotation, with return previously targeted for late February 2026 following handover to the next crew.
NASA officials say all options remain on the table, including ending the rotation early. Specialists consulted publicly, including Dr Simeon Barber of the Open University, expect any early return would bring all four Crew-11 members home together rather than splitting the team, which reduces operational complexity and workload imbalance.
On‑orbit medical support remains available. The station carries basic equipment and secure links for private medical conferences with flight surgeons on the ground, enabling diagnosis, treatment advice and monitoring while managers determine whether continued flight or return presents the lower risk.
If Crew-11 depart together, NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev would sustain the platform. Science campaigns and some scheduled maintenance would be deferred, with efforts concentrated on life‑support, power and systems health until a replacement crew is in position.
Any schedule change requires coordination among NASA, JAXA and Roscosmos. Partners will factor vehicle availability, orbital phasing for undocking, splashdown weather constraints and recovery assets, applying established ISS flight rules to ensure redundancy across US and Russian segments is preserved.
Should an early return be authorised, Crew Dragon would follow standard procedures: crew medical checks and suit‑up, vehicle power‑up and leak tests, undocking and departure burns, then de‑orbit for splashdown in designated coastal zones. Recovery teams would transfer the crew for immediate medical evaluation.
NASA has not indicated when a decision will be taken. Further updates are expected once medical assessments conclude and agencies agree a revised plan. Until then, operations will run conservatively and crew privacy will be maintained.