NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission returns with Pacific splashdown

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 splashed down off San Diego early Jan. 15, 2026, returning four crew members after 167 days aboard the International Space Station. The return occurred about a month earlier than planned because of a medical concern; NASA reported the crew member is stable.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego early on Jan. 15, 2026, concluding a 167-day mission aboard the International Space Station. The Dragon Endeavour and its four crew members were retrieved by SpaceX recovery vessels and taken for medical checks. The return occurred about a month earlier than planned because of a medical concern involving one crew member, who NASA reported as stable. NASA said the crew will follow standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations after an overnight hospital stay. Key details: - Four crew members returned: NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. - Splashdown and recovery occurred at 12:41 a.m. PST on Jan. 15, 2026, with SpaceX recovery teams retrieving the Dragon spacecraft and crew. - The mission lasted 167 days aboard the ISS, during which the crew completed more than 140 science experiments. - Over the mission the crew traveled nearly 71 million miles and completed about 2,670 orbits of Earth. - The earlier return was linked to a medical concern that teams are monitoring; NASA cited privacy and reported the crew member as stable. Summary: The splashdown closed a long-duration expedition that contributed hundreds of hours of research, maintenance, and technology demonstrations aboard the ISS. Crew members had an overnight hospital stay for evaluation and will return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.