NASA Conducts First-Ever Medical Evacuation from International Space Station

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In a historic and urgent shift in mission operations, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule undocked from the International Space Station on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, to carry out the first emergency medical evacuation in the station’s 25-year history. The spacecraft detached from the orbital complex at 5:20 p.m. EST after a crew member developed a "serious medical condition" that required immediate clinical intervention on Earth. The departing team includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui, and Russia’s Oleg Platonov, all of whom have been aboard the station since August. 

During the undocking sequence, Commander Cardman praised the crew's resilience, noting that while the early departure was unexpected, the team’s ability to come together as a family to support their ailing colleague was not. The return journey is being handled as a ‘controlled medical evacuation’, allowing the Crew Dragon to follow standard re-entry procedures rather than an aggressive emergency descent. 

Following a 10-hour orbital alignment period, the capsule is scheduled for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near Southern California at 3:41 a.m. EST on Thursday, January 15. Once the craft is recovered, the astronauts will undergo immediate medical evaluations before being airlifted to the mainland. 

This sudden departure leaves the ISS with a skeleton crew of only three personnel, prompting NASA leadership to evaluate whether the next scheduled mission, originally set for mid-February, can be moved forward to restore the laboratory's full operational capacity.