URGENT UPDATE: NASA has confirmed that a medical issue involving a crew member aboard the International Space Station (ISS) may lead to an earlier-than-expected end to the Crew-11 mission. The situation arose on Wednesday, prompting the postponement of a scheduled spacewalk and raising concerns about the crew’s return timeline.
NASA officials stated that the affected crew member is currently stable, but they are actively evaluating all options regarding the mission’s duration. “Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11’s mission,” the agency announced on its website. Further updates are expected within the next 24 hours.
The crew’s planned spacewalk was set to include veteran NASA astronaut and space station commander Mike Fincke alongside flight engineer Zena Cardman. Both are members of Crew-11, which launched from Kennedy Space Center on August 1, 2024. The spacewalk was postponed as NASA monitors the medical concern that became apparent on Wednesday afternoon.
Due to medical privacy regulations, NASA has not disclosed specific details about the crew member’s condition. However, the agency reassured the public that they are prepared for such emergencies, having trained extensively for various scenarios.
Currently, Crew-11 consists of four astronauts: Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Michael Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Originally, the team was scheduled to remain in orbit until the arrival of Crew-12 on or after February 15, 2026. However, NASA has previously returned crews to Earth earlier than planned.
The ISS is also home to three other crew members: NASA’s Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev, who arrived on the station via Soyuz in November.
As the situation unfolds, all eyes are on NASA for updates regarding Crew-11’s mission status. Stay tuned for breaking news as we continue to monitor this developing story.
