Four astronauts from NASA’s Crew-11 mission returned to Earth early on Thursday after an undisclosed medical issue involving one crew member prompted a carefully planned effort to bring that person home for evaluation.
When did NASA’s Crew-11 astronauts return to Earth?
The astronauts initially left for the International Space Station in August 2025 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. However, due to the urgency of the situation, they undocked from the ISS on Wednesday evening. Their journey back to Earth clocked in at around 10 hours, CNN reported.
The spacecraft landed safely in the Pacific Ocean at 3:40 a.m. ET on Thursday off the coast of San Diego. Recovery crews transported the astronauts and capsule to a nearby ship, where the crew was placed on gurneys to help them readjust to gravity after their time in space. All four astronauts were reportedly in good spirits after leaving the spacecraft.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency had team members on standby to help ensure the astronauts’ safe return to Earth.
“NASA was ready. The team responded quickly and professionally, as did the teams across the agency, working closely with our commercial partners and executed a very safe return,” Isaacman said during a news conference on Thursday morning, per CNN. “This is exactly why we train, and this is NASA at its finest.”
The recovery team will transport the astronauts to a nearby hospital for routine medical checks, a standard process following space missions.
“We want to take advantage of resources on Earth to provide the best care possible,” NASA spokesperson Leah Cheshier said during the same news conference, according to CNN. “NASA maintains relationships with local hospitals to ensure readiness for any post-landing needs, and for this return, we are utilizing that option as part of our normal preparedness.”
NASA will release updates on its crew members health soon
As USA Today reported, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov “spent 167 days in space at the orbital outpost, which they reached on Aug. 2, after launching a day earlier in Florida.”
NASA did not release the name of the astronaut who had the medical issue, as this information is usually confidential. This is the first time a crew member had to be medically evacuated in its 25-year history at the International Space Station.
“The crew member of concern is doing fine,” Isaacman said about the crew member, per USA Today “We will share updates on their health as soon as it is appropriate to do so.”
