Robert Markowitz / NASA
An unidentified member of International Space Station (ISS) Crew 11 has shown symptoms of illness, but NASA says the astronaut’s condition is stable.
NASA is considering the early return of Crew-11 from the International Space Station after an unidentified astronaut suffered a medical issue.
A NASA postponed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) and is considering bring back the crew of and Crew-11 earlier due to a medical problem which emerged on Wednesday with one of the astronauts on board, the agency announced.
The spacewalk was scheduled for 8 am this Thursday, to complete the preparation of a power station where a new solar panel is planned to be installed on the ISS.
It was initially planned that North American astronauts Mike Fincke e Cardman woman were outside the space station for 6 and a half hours, on what would be Cardman’s first spacewalk. Fincke has performed nine spacewalks.
A NASA did not reveal the name of the crew member with the medical problem did not even share any other details about the emergency, but the agency confirmed that the problem involves an astronaut whose state is stable.
“These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely“, wrote a NASA spokesperson in an update sent this Thursday.
Still, the agency is considering bringing in Fincke, Cardman and two other astronauts, who are part of the current crew of four people on board the EEI, returning home early of your stay.
“Conducting our missions safely is our top priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to the Crew-11 mission,” the spokesperson said.
Crew-11 arrived at the ISS on August 2, 2025. Fincke and Cardman were accompanied by the astronaut Kimiya Yui, from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonovfrom Roscosmos, for a six month missionafter which the astronauts were to be replaced by Crew-12 as part of the space station’s regular personnel rotation.
The launch of Crew-12 is scheduled for mid-February. It is unclear what the early return of Crew-11 would mean for the ISS, given that such changes to the usual rotation are highly unusual.
There are other crew members living on the space station right now — including the astronaut Christopher Williams, of NASA, and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayevwho arrived at the orbital laboratory aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft at Baikonur in November.
