ISS command transferred early after sick astronaut prompted evacuation

NASA ordered four Crew‑11 members to return early from the ISS after one crew member fell ill and was described as “stable,” and Mike Fincke handed command of Expedition 74 to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov. The four are scheduled to undock Wednesday and splash down off the coast of California early Thursday.

Command of the International Space Station (ISS) changed hands aboard the station after NASA ordered an early return for four astronauts because one crew member became ill. During a ceremony on Monday, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke formally transferred command of Expedition 74 to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov. NASA described the ill crew member as "stable" but has not released further medical details. The move reduces station personnel and alters the planned leadership transfer sequence. Known details: - Mike Fincke handed command of Expedition 74 to Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov during a ceremony onboard the ISS on Monday. - NASA ordered the early return of four Crew‑11 members after one astronaut fell sick; officials called the crew member "stable" and have not identified them or disclosed the condition. - The departing quartet are Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov. - Remaining on the station are Chris Williams, Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, who make up the Soyuz MS‑28 crew. - The four departing astronauts are expected to undock Wednesday and splash down off the coast of California in the early hours on Thursday. Summary: The handover placed command with Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov and left three crew members aboard the ISS while four Crew‑11 members return early. The returning astronauts are scheduled to undock Wednesday and splash down off California early Thursday, and NASA has not released additional medical details about the situation.