NASA brings astronauts home early in first-ever medical evacuation

NASA carried out its first medical evacuation from space early Thursday, bringing four astronauts back to Earth more than a month early after a crew member reported health issues aboard the International Space Station.

SpaceX guided the Dragon capsule to a nighttime splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, completing the return less than 11 hours after the crew departed the orbiting laboratory.

“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, @zenanaut, @AstroIronMike, @Astro_Kimiya, and Oleg!” SpaceX said in a post on X.

NASA said the affected astronaut was stable while in orbit, but that mission managers decided an early return was the safest course to allow for proper medical evaluation and diagnostic testing on Earth. 

Officials emphasized that the return did not require any special procedures and that standard medical teams were on hand during recovery.

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The mission’s early conclusion left the space station temporarily staffed by just three astronauts — one American and two Russians — a configuration NASA said is manageable but limits some operations. 

Agency officials said no spacewalks, including emergency repairs, can be conducted until the arrival of the next crew.

NASA stressed that the decision was precautionary and not the result of an emergency. The health issue emerged on Jan. 7, prompting the cancellation of a scheduled spacewalk the following day and ultimately leading to the shortened mission.

It marked the first time NASA has cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons, though similar decisions were made by Russian space programs decades ago.

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NASA and SpaceX said they are working to move up the launch of a replacement crew of four, currently scheduled for mid-February. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.