Daijiworld Media Network - San Diego
San Diego, Jan 15: Four astronauts safely returned to Earth early Thursday, bringing to a close an unusual and closely watched space mission that was ended nearly a month ahead of schedule due to a medical issue aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 3.41 am (ET) after an almost 11-hour journey back to Earth.
“On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome home, Crew-11,” mission controllers told the astronauts moments after their SpaceX Dragon capsule touched the water.
This marked the first time in the 25-year history of the ISS that a mission was curtailed due to a medical concern. NASA, citing medical privacy, did not disclose which crew member was affected or the nature of the issue, but clarified that the situation was stable and not an emergency.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the decision to bring the crew back early was taken as a precaution. The medical issue had earlier led to the cancellation of a scheduled spacewalk on January 8, during which Cardman and Fincke were to carry out upgrades on the station’s exterior.
Before departing the ISS, Fincke assured that all crew members were “stable, safe and well cared for,” adding that returning to Earth would allow comprehensive medical evaluations to be conducted. “It’s the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet,” he said in a LinkedIn post.
The return journey was smooth, aided by favourable weather conditions at the splashdown site. The Dragon capsule’s parachutes deployed successfully before landing, and SpaceX recovery teams swiftly reached the spacecraft. Visuals from the scene showed dolphins swimming around the capsule as it floated in the ocean.
The astronauts were assisted out of the capsule about 50 minutes after splashdown, appearing cheerful and waving to cameras. Crew-11 spent 165 days aboard the ISS. The mission was the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov, the second for Yui, and the fourth for veteran astronaut Fincke.
The crew had arrived at the space station in August and were initially scheduled to remain until late February. Following their early departure, only three astronauts remain aboard the ISS. NASA said it is exploring options to advance the next crew rotation, currently slated for no earlier than February 15.