ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: New commander to take charge soon

The four astronauts of NASA’s Crew-11 SpaceX Dragon mission to the International Space Station ended their day today with work to pack up their spacecraft for their planned medical evacuation from the orbiting lab on Jan. 14.

The Crew-11 astronauts moved their personal items and other gear into the Dragon ahead of their planned undocking on Wednesday, a move that came hours after Crew-11 pilot Mike Fincke, who had been serving as ISS commander, turned control over to a Russian crewmate.

“At the end of Monday’s shift, the foursome retrieved computer tablets from inside Dragon and reviewed the steps they will use while departing the station and reentering Earth’s atmosphere,” NASA wrote in an afternoon update.

The Crew-11 astronauts, which in addition to Fincke include commander Zena Cardman and mission specialists Kimiya Yui of Japan and Oleg Platonov of Russia, will undock from the ISS on Jan. 14 and land early on Jan. 15 following a medical issue with one of the astronauts that occured on Jan. 7, NASA has said. It is the first-ever medical evacuation of the ISS.

With the Crew-11 astronauts at the end of their day, this will be our final post of today. Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you tomorrow the latest on their return to Earth.

Tariq Malik

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, pilot of the Crew-11 mission, officially relinquished command of the International Space Station’s Expedition 74 mission today in a heartfelt ceremony that ended it a 7-astronaut group hug.

Read our full story: ‘It is bittersweet’: Crew-11 astronaut hands over control of ISS ahead of 1st-ever medical evacuation

Fincke turned control of the ISS over to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchov during the ceremony, and even handed a golden key to the station over to its new chief.

“We’re leaving you all with a lot of work, but also with a lot of knowledge knowing that you guys are really going to do super well,” Fincke said to Kud-Sverchkov.

The ceremony came just two days before Fincke and three other Crew-11 astronauts will depart the ISS in a “controlled medical evacuation” due to a medical concern with one of the astronauts. NASA called for the early departure – the first of its kind on the ISS – on Jan. 8 after one of the astronauts experienced a medical issue the day before.

The Crew-11 SpaceX Dragon capsule will undock from the ISS on Jan. 14 to return Fincke to Earth alongside Crew-11 commander Zena Cardman of NASA, and mission specialists Kimiya Yui of Japan and Oleg Platonov of Russia. NASA is not identifying which astronaut suffered the medical issue out of privacy concerns.

The Crew-11 astronauts are scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California early on Thursday, Jan. 15. They arrived at the ISS in August 2025.

Tariq Malik

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke will hand command of the International Space Station‘s current Expedition 74 mission over to cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov today (Jan. 12) during a ceremony that starts at 2:35 p.m. EST (1935 GMT). You can watch it live via NASA+, Amazon Prime, and NASA’s YouTube channel.

Fincke is one of the four astronauts of SpaceX‘s Crew-11 mission, which will head back to Earth on Wednesday (Jan. 14). Crew-11 was supposed to stay at the ISS for another month but is coming home early due to a medical issue with one of its astronauts. NASA has not revealed the identity of that crewmember, citing privacy concerns.

The other Crew-11 astronauts are NASA’s Zena Cardman, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

International Space Station Change of Command Ceremony – YouTube

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Mike Wall

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui posted a video to X over the weekend, showing a dazzling view of auroras spreading like a tall blanket over the darkened Earth below. “Knowing that I would soon return, the sun must have tried its best, as I was able to capture a very beautiful aurora,” a translation of his post says.

A change of command ceremony aboard the ISS is scheduled today at 2:35 p.m. EST (1835 GMT), and will be webcast live on NASA TV, NASA+ and the space agency’s streaming service and social media platforms.

Josh Dinner

Good morning. NASA and SpaceX are now two days away from their planned “controlled medical evacuation” of four Crew-11 astronauts from the International Space Station.

To prepare for that departure, Crew-11 pilot Mike Fincke of NASA, who has been commanding the joint Expedition 74 crew on the ISS, will officially relinquish his command in a change-of-command ceremony that will shift control of the orbting lab over to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.

The ceremony is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. EST (1835 GMT) today, Jan. 12, and will be webcast live on NASA TV, NASA+ and the space agnecy’s streaming service and social media platforms.

Fincke and Crew-11 commander Zena Cardman of NASA, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov will undock their SpaceX Dragon capsule from the ISS on Wednesday, Jan. 14 and return to earth early Jan. 15 due to a medical issue with one of the astronauts that occurred on Jan. 7. It is the first-ever medical evacuation of astronauts from the ISS.

The four Crew-11 astronauts will leave behind Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, his fellow cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who will remain aboard the ISS to complete the remained of a six-month mission that began in late November.

Tariq Malik

While NASA and SpaceX are poised to return the four Crew-11 astronauts to Earth in the wee hours of Thursday, Jan. 15, the weather will ultimately determine exactly where the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the crew will splash down off the coast of Southern California.

NASA said today that the weather looks favorable for a 3:40 a.m. ET splashdown off the California coast, but that the space agency and SpaceX willmake a final decision closer to landing day (likely around undocking on Jan. 14) on which landing zone to target.

“NASA will share more details about its coverage plans in the coming days,” NASA officials wrote in an update.

In 2025, SpaceX switched exclusively to Pacific splashdowns for its Dragon capsules to avoid any debris from its expendable “trunk” from falling over populated areas. But there is more than one drop zone available to choose from.

In the past, SpaceX has reserved splashdown sites off the coast of San Diego, Oceanside and Los Angeles in Southern California, and we expect the same for the upcoming Crew-11 Dragon return.

This will be our final update of today for SpaceX and NASA’s Crew-11 astronaut medival evacuation from the International Space Station. We’ll be back Monday morning, Jan. 12, for the next update.

Thanks for joining us and we’ll see you tomorrow.

Tariq Malik

As SpaceX prepares to return four Crew-11 astronauts to Earth for NASA under the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station, the company has shared a few details in what the trip home will look like for the astronauts.

Crew-11 commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke (both of NASA) and mission specialists Kimiya Yui of Japan and Oleg Platonov of Russia will return to Earth on the Dragon Endeavour capsule on Thursday, Jan. 15, but their journey begins a half day earlier on Jan. 14, when they’ll undock from the ISS.

“After performing a series of departure burns to move away from the space station, Dragon will conduct multiple orbit-lowering maneuvers, jettison the trunk, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere for splashdown off the coast of California approximately 11 hours later on Thursday, January 15,” SpaceX wrote in an updated mission overview. Splashdown is currently scheduled for 3:40 a.m. EST (0740 GMT) off the southern coast of California.

NASA officials have said the weather forecast currently looks favorable for the return to Earth, but both NASA and SpaceX will continue to monitor conditions since the splashdown is currently scheduled to occur in darkness. Weather conditions and rough seas can influence whether SpaceX and NASA commit to undock from the ISS and target a specific splashdown site.

While 11 hours seems like a long time for a medical evacuation from the ISS, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on Jan. 8 that aside from the early departure from the space station (Crew-11 was expected to last another month or so), Crew-11’s return to Earth would follow SpaceX’s normal undocking and reentry procedures.

The astronaut who suffered the medical issue (NASA is not naming the astronut due to medical privacy concerns) is in a stable condition and should not require special assistance or measures for the trip home, NASA has said.

NASA and SpaceX continue to track weather conditions in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, where a Dragon capsule is expected to splashdown with the four Crew-11 astronauts on Jan. 15 to complete their medical evacuation from the International Space Station.

So far, it seems like the weather does look good for the earlier than planned landing.

“NASA and SpaceX are reviewing weather conditions in the splashdown zones, which currently are favorable for return,” NASA wrote in a mission update today.

The Crew-11 Dragon capsule, called Endeavour, will splash down in the Pacific at about 3:40 a.m. EST (0740 GMT) on Thursday, Jan. 14. It will be 12:40 a.m. local time, with the splashdown and recovery occuring in darkness.

SpaceX’s recovery crews typically aims to collect the Dragon capsule and extract its crew within an hour or so of splashdown. But good weather and sea conditions are key for a smooth recovery.

Good morning, all. Today is Sunday, Jan. 11 and we are just about three days away from NASA’s planned medical evacation of four Crew-11 astronauts from the International Space Station on Jan. 14, and four days away from their splashdown on Jan. 15.

We begin today with news that NASA and its international partners have arranged for an accelerated change of command ceremony on the ISS. That ceremony, which was to occur many weeks from now, will now occur on Monday, Jan. 12, at 2:35 p.m. EST (1835 GMT). You’ll be able to watch it live on Space.com, courtesy of NASA. Joining Fincke on the trip to Earth will be Crew-11 commander Zena Cardman of NASA and mission specialists Kimiya Yui of Japan and Oleg Platonaov of Russia. NASA called for their early return after a medical issue arose with one of the four on Jan. 7.

So why does this command change involve the Crew-11 medical evacuation? It’s because the current commander of the International Space Station’s joint Expedition 74 mission is Crew-11 pilot Mike Fincke, a veteran ISS astronaut who will now return to Earth early.

Fincke will hand over control of the ISS to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who arrived at the station in November with fellow cosmonaut Sergei Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams.

Tariq Malik

When NASA and SpaceX return the Crew-11 astronauts to Earth in a medical evacuation of the Internatinal Space Station, the space agency will broadcast it live and you’ll have a variety of options to watch it online.

NASA’s Crew-11 astronuats – commander Zena Cardman, pilot Mike Fincke (both of NASA, and mission specialists Kimiya Yui of Japan and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platanov – will return to Earth on Jan. 15 after undocking a day earlier due to a medical concern that arose Jan. 7 with one of the astronauts.

NASA will livestream the undocking on Jan. 14 starting at about 3 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) on NASA TV, as well as its NASA+ streaming service. Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix and Roku. You can also follow it live on the agency’s social media channels like Facebook, Twitch, X and YouTube. All the links are on NASA’s Ways to Watch page here.Space.com will also provide a livestream simulcast of NASA’s broadcast.

The landing livestreams will begin early Jan. 15 at 2:15 a.m. EST (0615 GMT), with splashdown set for 3:40 a.m. EST (0740 GMT).

This will be our last update of the day, barring any new update from NASA. We’ll be back on Sunday to more on the packing and other preparations of the crew ahead of their unplanned departure from the ISS.

Thanks for tuning in.

Tariq Malik

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui is saying some farewells to the Japan-built section of the International Space Station as he and his Crew-11 crewmates prepare for their medical evacuation from the orbiting lab on Jan. 14.

Yui shared a photo on Friday that he took from a window on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo module, the largest science laboratory on the space station, showing the module’s airlock and experiment platform. The space station’s main truss and two giant solar arrays can be seen, as well as the blue arc of the Earth below.

“Today was a very busy day as well, so I was working quite late.,” Yui wrote. “I hadn’t taken the photos to introduce to everyone, so I just shot them from the window of ‘Kibo’ a little while ago. Since I’ll soon have to bid farewell to this view as well, I want to burn it firmly into my eyes, and even more so, into my heart.”

Yui is on his second trip to the ISS with the Crew-11 mission. He’s been taking spectacular photos of Earth and space from the station, as well as videos like the one here shared by Space.com writer Anthony Wood:

Astronaut on ISS captures spectacular orbital video of zodiacal light, auroras and the Pleiades

Yui will return to Earh on Jan. 15 in the wee hours of the morning with Crew-11 crewmates Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman (both of NASA) and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platanov, with their SpaceX Dragon capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

Tariq Malik