The Crew-11 mission team, including the ill astronaut, has safely returned to Earth. On January 15, the Dragon spacecraft capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
The Crew-11 mission was launched on August 1, 2025. Its crew consisted of NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. The flight plan called for Crew-11 to remain on the ISS until mid-February.
However, on January 7, NASA unexpectedly announced the cancellation of the spacewalk planned for the following day due to medical issues with one of the crew members. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made to return the Crew-11 astronauts to Earth ahead of schedule. NASA representatives declined to disclose details about the identity of the injured person and the nature of the medical problem, citing confidentiality issues, but added that the person’s condition is stable. According to unofficial reports, the person in question is astronaut Mike Fincke.
On January 14, Crew-11 undocked from the ISS. 10.5 hours later, the capsule with four crew members successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, after which it was picked up by a SpaceX ship. As before, the space explorers were greeted by dolphins. In the coming hours, NASA plans to hold a press conference to share some details about the mission, which ended ahead of schedule.
After the departure of Crew-11, the ISS crew will be reduced to just three people for the first time in many years. NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev will remain on board the station.
The launch of the next manned spacecraft to the ISS (Crew-12 mission) is currently scheduled for February 15. However, NASA is considering the possibility of postponing the date if possible.
