Four astronauts, including one requiring medical attention, departed the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday for an early return to Earth.
The crew, comprising members from the US, Russia, and Japan, is scheduled for a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego early on Thursday.
NASA officials have not disclosed the identity of the ailing astronaut or the nature of their health concerns, citing medical privacy, but confirmed the individual is stable.
This marks NASA’s first medical evacuation in 65 years of human spaceflight, cutting short the mission by over a month for the returning crew.
The decision, made by new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, temporarily reduces the ISS crew size and will halt routine spacewalks until a new crew arrives.
