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The SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon vehicle has successfully made its ocean landing in the Pacific, thus finalizing the astronauts’ voyage back to terra firma.(Image credit: NASA)ShareShare by:
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After being urgently retrieved from the International Space Station (ISS) due to an unforeseen medical circumstance, a quartet of astronauts have made their return to Earth.
The SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down during the pre-dawn hours just off the California coastline at 3:41 a.m. ET on Thursday (Jan. 15), brought back NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
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Welcome home, Crew-11! At 3:41am ET (0841 UTC), the @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of San Diego, California. pic.twitter.com/8LFpdKwizcJanuary 15, 2026
This touchdown signifies the conclusion of an unprecedentedly expedited return of the astronauts, triggered by an undisclosed health concern involving one of the team. As reported by Space.com, Live Science’s associated site, this occurrence marks the initial instance of an ISS mission being prematurely halted due to medical reasons.
Crew-11 began their space journey on Aug. 1, 2025, with a planned stay on the ISS until being relieved by another crew in mid-February. Nevertheless, on Jan. 7, NASA opted to postpone a scheduled spacewalk outside the ISS stemming from a medical problem that emerged with one of the astronauts. Subsequently, they announced the early return of the entire crew the following day.
The Dragon capsule detached from the ISS at 5.20 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Jan. 14), embarking on its trajectory back to Earth. Post-splashdown in the Pacific, the capsule was hoisted onto a SpaceX retrieval vessel. Subsequently, the astronauts were assisted in exiting the capsule and positioned on stretchers — a routine measure for all returning astronauts — before undergoing regular medical evaluations.
Presently, all four team members are under observation at a nearby medical facility. Invoking medical privacy considerations, NASA has withheld both the identity of the astronaut affected by the medical condition and specifics regarding the condition itself. The agency has, however, previously verified that the situation involves a single individual.
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“The crew member in question is in good condition,” Isaacman reported. “We will provide further updates regarding their well-being as soon as appropriate.”
Originally, Crew-12 was slated to replace the returning astronauts on the ISS, but their arrival has been pushed back to the coming month. Such an alteration in crew replacement is atypical. However, other astronauts remain on the ISS, including NASA’s Christopher Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev.
TOPICSNASAinternational space station
Patrick PesterSocial Links NavigationTrending News Writer
Patrick Pester serves as the trending news scribe at Live Science. His body of work includes contributions to other science-related online platforms, notably BBC Science Focus and Scientific American. Patrick transitioned into journalism after a prior career focused on work in zoological parks and safeguarding wildlife. He was the recipient of the Master’s Excellence Scholarship to undertake studies at Cardiff University where he successfully earned a master’s level degree in international journalism. He also possesses an additional master’s level degree specializing in biodiversity, evolutionary processes, and hands-on conservation strategies from Middlesex University London. Outside of writing news articles, Patrick delves into the commercial exchange of human skeletal remains.
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