Live coverage: NASA, SpaceX conduct ‘medical evacuation’ Crew-11 return to Earth

Update Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 UTC): NASA, SpaceX confirm safe undocking of the Dragon Endeavour.

The SpaceX Crew-11 mission is coming to a close with the crew departing the International Space Station Wednesday evening ahead of a planned splashdown off the coast of California in the predawn hours on Thursday.

At 3:29 p.m. EST (2029 UTC), the hatch to the Dragon Endeavour was officially closed and the crew began final preparations for undocking. Crew-11 commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke along with mission specialists Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Oleg Platonov gave their goodbyes before beginning their journey.

“What an adventure we’ve had together,” Fincke said from the Dragon spacecraft. “I think what I’m going to remember most is the camaraderie we’ve had across the planet that’s really symbolic of 25 years of continuous habitation aboard the space station, which is a feat of engineering and a feat of diplomacy. I’m glad we can all work together in space.”

This was the first spaceflight for both Platonov and Cardman. The Crew-11 commander gave well wishes to the remaining members of Expedition 74 who are remaining on station before addressing those on the ground.

“Your International Space Station is a testament to the power of cooperation, and it’s been an absolute privilege to take part in this endeavor. … Crew-11 is coming home.”

After final checks were done and preparations completed, the spacecraft separated from the ISS at 5:20 p.m. EST (2220 UTC) to begin a roughly 10.5-hour-long journey home.

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of the final piece of their return beginning at roughly 2 a.m. EST (0700 UTC) on Jan. 15.

Crew-11 launched to the ISS from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 1 and docked with the space station the following day. They were the final crew to arrive during Expedition 73 and welcomed the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, the first new crew of Expedition 74.

They were originally set to stay onboard the ISS until the latter part of February to allow for a direct handover with the incoming SpaceX Crew-12 quartet. However, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said one of the crew members had a “serious medical concern” on Thursday, which prompted agency leaders to decide that the crew should come home earlier than planned for a proper medical diagnosis and treatment.

The early end to the mission was described as a “medical evacuation” and not an “emergency return,” but this does mark the first time that an American-led human spaceflight mission ends early due to a medical issue.

On Monday, Fincke handed over command of the ISS to Roscomos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov in a brief ceremony. Kud-Sverchkov along with fellow cosmonaut Sergey Mikayev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams will hold down the fort until the arrival of SpaceX Crew-12 sometime in early February.

Fincke posted to his LinkedIn profile, to confirm that NASA made “the right call, even if it’s a bit bittersweet.”

“We’re grateful for the teamwork, proud of the mission, and looking forward to coming home soon—back to our loved ones and to resolving any medical questions with the best care available,” Fincke wrote.

The various members of Crew-11 have spent the week preparing to leave and saying their goodbyes to life in low Earth orbit. In a message posted to his X account (formerly Twitter) Yui shared some photos he captured of Japan as the space station wizzed overhead at about 17,500 miles per hour.

“The day has finally arrived for our departure to Earth. I haven’t had a chance to photograph daytime Japan recently, but at the very last moment, we passed over the Pacific side of Japan,” Yui wrote, as translated by X. “Mount Fuji bid us farewell, adorned with a touch of crimson makeup from the setting sun. This is my final glimpse of Mount Fuji from space and daytime Japan! Thank you for the magnificent view!”

The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission are officially scheduled to launch Feb. 15. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will spend about nine months onboard the orbiting outpost.

NASA is looking to accelerate the launch date of Crew-12 though, which places it very close to the Artemis 2 Moon mission, the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft and the closest approach to the Moon since 1972. The launch of Artemis 2 is tentatively set for Feb. 6, but that will be firmed up in the coming weeks.