Astronaut Mike Fincke, commander of the International Space Station (ISS), confirmed that he and his crewmates are preparing for an early return to Earth due to a medical issue. In a post on LinkedIn, Fincke stated that he and fellow astronauts, including crew members Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov, are “stable, safe and well cared for.” The decision was made by NASA to bring Crew 11 home ahead of schedule, a move Fincke described as “the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet.”
The astronauts are scheduled to undock from the ISS around 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Following this, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will initiate its deorbit burn at 2:50 a.m. EST on Thursday, leading to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California at approximately 3:40 a.m. After medical checks aboard a SpaceX recovery ship, the crew will be flown to shore by helicopter, where a NASA aircraft will be ready to transport them back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Details Surrounding the Early Return
The astronauts originally anticipated returning to Earth on February 20, but the timeline changed when a crew member reported a medical concern. The identity of the astronaut has not been disclosed, nor has the nature of the medical issue, consistent with long-standing medical privacy guidelines. Nevertheless, Fincke’s LinkedIn post and a photo of Crew 11 preparing their pressure suits indicate that the situation is manageable.
“This was a deliberate decision to allow the right medical evaluations to happen on the ground, where the full range of diagnostic capability exists,” Fincke wrote.
Fincke added that the crew’s preparations were a normal and methodical process. James Polk, NASA’s chief medical officer, explained that this marks a significant moment in the agency’s history, as it is the first time a crew has been ordered to cut its mission short due to a medical issue. According to Polk, statistical analyses suggested that a medical evacuation was statistically due every three years, yet none had occurred until now.
“Even in this case, we’re erring on the side of caution,” he stated. “Again, it’s not an emergent evacuation, but we are erring on the side of caution for the crew member and in their best interest.”
Transition and Future Missions
In a ceremonial transfer of command, Fincke will hand over leadership of the ISS to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov on Monday afternoon. In his post, Fincke expressed appreciation for the teamwork displayed by NASA, flight surgeons, engineers, and support teams who quickly collaborated to ensure the crew’s safety.
Looking ahead, Kud-Sverchkov and his Soyuz MS-28 colleagues, Sergey Mikaev and Chris Williams, will remain on the ISS until Crew 11’s replacements arrive. Currently, the next group of astronauts, comprising Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency, and Andrey Fedyaev, is scheduled for launch on February 15, 2024. NASA is actively exploring the possibility of advancing this launch date.
“We’re leaving the ISS in great hands,” Fincke concluded. “The three crewmates who arrived in November will continue the mission, and they’ll be joined by Crew 12 in just a few weeks.”
