ISS astronauts begin return after NASA's first medical evacuation

Four Crew-11 members undocked from the International Space Station and are returning to Earth after a medical issue prompted an early end to their mission; NASA says the affected crewmember is in stable condition and the SpaceX Dragon capsule is scheduled to splash down off California at about 0840 GMT on Thursday.

Four astronauts undocked from the International Space Station and are headed back to Earth after a medical issue shortened their mission by about a month. The crew included Americans Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui. NASA has called this its first medical evacuation in the agency's human spaceflight history and declined to identify which crewmember is affected. Officials described the return as not an emergency and said the affected crewmember is stable. Known details: - The four Crew-11 members undocked at 2220 GMT after about five months aboard the station and are inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule for return. - NASA has not disclosed the identity or medical details of the affected crewmember, and an agency official said the person "was and continues to be in stable condition." - The capsule is scheduled to splash down off the California coast at around 0840 GMT on Thursday. - NASA cited a "lingering risk" and an unresolved question about diagnosis as the reason to bring the crew down early, and said it will pause routine and emergency spacewalks until another crew arrives via SpaceX. Summary: This event marks NASA's first recorded medical evacuation during its human spaceflight program and has led to an early return for the four Crew-11 members. Officials report the affected crewmember as stable and the immediate next step is a planned splashdown off California at about 0840 GMT; station operations such as spacewalks will be paused until a replacement crew is delivered.