1st-ever medical evacuation from ISS
The four individuals from SpaceX's Crew-11 mission arrived in Houston on January 16th, a day following their unusual medical return from the International Space Station.
These four space travelers – Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke from NASA, Kimiya Yui representing Japan, and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov – had completed their ocean landing near Long Beach, California, early on January 15th. They then remained under medical observation locally for about a day before traveling eastward to Texas.
"The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission have reached the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston," an update from NASA on January 16th stated, "where they will undergo routine post-flight recovery and health assessments."
The agency commented that the Crew-11 astronauts were "in good shape" following their successful medical departure and landing. "Everyone on the crew is reported to be in stable condition," the statement continued. "For reasons of medical confidentiality, no specific information about their individual health will be disclosed."
The Crew-11 mission had commenced in early August, originally planned for a six-month duration aboard the orbiting laboratory. However, a health concern arose for one of the four individuals while in space last week, leading NASA to conclude the mission prematurely, approximately five weeks ahead of schedule.
The space station currently hosts a reduced complement of three personnel: Chris Williams from NASA, and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, both affiliated with the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Following the splashdown on January 15th, recovery personnel were observed attending to the Crew-11's conical capsule as it rested on the deck of a recovery vessel at sea. Two individuals, wearing protective headgear, were seen climbing onto the craft.
The orbiting facility will not return to its standard complement of seven individuals until the arrival of SpaceX's Crew-12 mission. This next crew is presently slated for launch on February 15th, although both NASA and SpaceX are exploring whether this schedule can be accelerated.
Beyond Crew-12, NASA is also preparing for another significant astronaut launch: Artemis 2. This mission aims to dispatch four individuals on a ten-day journey around Earth's moon.
Artemis 2's primary vehicle, comprising its powerful rocket and associated capsule, is scheduled to be transported to the launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 17th. Provided the transport and subsequent examinations proceed without issue, the Artemis 2 mission could commence as early as February 6th.
Reference
by Mike Wall, Crew-11 astronauts arrive in Houston after 1st-ever medical evacuation from ISS
1 space.com Available at https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/nasa-says-its-crew-11-astronauts-have-arrived-in-houston-after-1st-ever-medical-evacuation-from-space-station
(Assessed: 20th January 2026)
