For the first time in the 25-year history of the International Space Station (ISS), a crew is being brought home early due to a medical emergency. Four astronauts are set to board their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named Endeavour, to begin an unscheduled journey back to Earth.
The mission, known as Crew-11, was originally meant to stay in orbit until February. However, Nasa officials made the difficult decision to cut the trip short after an undisclosed “medical concern” arose with one of the crew members on January 7.
Coverage begins with the emotional hatch-closing ceremony at 1:30 am IST on January 15, followed by the high-stakes undocking and the final splashdown. You can follow the entire process live by clicking on the embedded video from Nasa’s YouTube channel below.
While the specific astronaut and the nature of the illness remain private, the agency has confirmed the individual is in a stable condition.
THE JOURNEY HOME
The evacuation involves Nasa astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Even though only one person is unwell, all four must return together because their capsule serves as the dedicated “lifeboat” for their specific team.
The undocking is scheduled for Thursday, January 15, at 3:35 am IST. After breaking away from the station, the crew will spend roughly 11 hours in transit before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at approximately 2:11 pm IST later that day.
Below is the official livestream video for Crew-11’s atmospheric re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
SAFETY FIRST IN ORBIT
Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman explained that while the situation is not an “emergency” in the sense of immediate danger, the decision was made to ensure the sick astronaut can receive a full diagnostic check-up using hospital equipment that simply does not exist 402 kilometres above the Earth.
Living in microgravity can be tough on the human body. We know that long-term spaceflight can affect everything from vision to bone density.
In this case, experts decided that 100 per cent of the focus must be on the crew’s health, even if it means leaving the space station with a “skeleton crew” of just three people until the next team arrives in February.
– Ends
