NASA to bring Crew-11 home early after astronaut taken ill

"NASA is bringing the Crew-11 astronauts back to Earth early after one encountered a medical issue that could not be dealt with aboard the orbiting outpost. On Wednesday, the astronauts were preparing for a spacewalk scheduled for Thursday. However, after the spacewalk was postponed due to a medical concern, NASA concluded by the end of Thursday that bringing the crew back to Earth early - likely within the next few days - was the safest option."

"NASA protected the astronaut's privacy, declining to identify which of the four crew members was affected or specify the condition's nature. Officials said the astronaut's condition was stable, requiring no emergency deorbit, and was unrelated to International Space Station operations. "This is not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations," said NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer James Polk during a briefing."

"Freshly appointed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said: "It's the end of the Crew-11 mission right now. They've achieved almost all of their mission objectives." The early departure will reduce the ISS's crew to three, including one US astronaut. NASA and its partners will attempt to advance the launch of the Crew-12 mission."

NASA decided to return the Crew-11 astronauts early after a crew member developed a medical issue that could not be addressed aboard the station. The planned spacewalk was postponed and officials determined an early return within days was the safest course. The affected astronaut is stable, the condition is unrelated to station operations, and the individual's identity and condition details were withheld. Crew-11 includes Zena Cardman, Michael Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov. The early departure will temporarily reduce ISS staffing to three while NASA and partners try to advance Crew-12 launch plans.

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