Astronaut Faces Medical Emergency; Crew-11 to Return to Earth Next Week

A astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) has had a medical emergency and NASA has decided to return the astronaut to Earth. The agency said that the Crew-11 mission will undock on January 14. The astronauts are to land near California on January 15.

Crew-11 Mission Overview

In August, four astronauts were sent to the ISS as part of the Crew-11 mission. NASA was planning to have the first spacewalk of the year on January 8. Astronauts Mike Fincke and Jeanette Epps were to be on the 6.5-hour spacewalk.

Spacewalk Postponed due to Medical Problem

NASA canceled the spacewalk right before it was to happen. The agency said the postponement was a medical emergency involving a Crew-11 astronaut. NASA, for privacy and protocol reasons, did not reveal the name of the astronaut or the nature of the medical condition.

Staff members said that the astronaut was not injured on the ISS. They mentioned that the astronaut's health is stable at the moment. The situation did not require an emergency evacuation, but NASA chose to return the astronaut to Earth as a safety measure.