Medical emergency on ISS forces NASA to consider astronaut evacuation

NASA is considering a rare evacuation of its crew from the International Space Station (ISS) over an unspecified ​medical issue involving one of the astronauts.

A spokeswoman for the agency said the ‌astronaut with the medical concern, whom she did not identify, was in a stable condition on the orbiting laboratory. 

'Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier ⁠end to Crew-11's mission,' the ‌spokeswoman said in a statement on Wednesday night.

'These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely. We will provide further updates within the next 24 hours.' 

Crew-11 includes four astronauts: Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

NASA has never had to pull an astronaut home for medical reasons, but evacuation capability is built into every ISS mission, with crew return vehicles kept on standby. 

The announcement came as the space agency canceled Thursday's scheduled spacewalk due to the issue. 

Station commander Fincke and flight engineer Cardman were slated to carry out a 6.5-hour spacewalk Thursday to install external hardware on the ISS. 

'Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member,' NASA shared in a statement.

'The situation is stable. NASA will share additional details, including a new date for the upcoming spacewalk, later.' Daily Mail has contacted NASA for comment. 

While it is rare for a spacewalk to be postponed, it is not unprecedented. A mission was canceled in 2021 when Mark Vande Hei experienced a pinched nerve and was unable to travel outside the ISS.

Another spacewalk in 2024 was called off at the last minute because an astronaut experienced 'spacesuit discomfort.'

Earlier on Wednesday, NASA reported that final preparations for the planned spacewalk were underway, with Cardman and Fincke organizing tools and equipment. 

Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who arrived at the station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft in November, assisted in reviewing spacewalk procedures with the pair, SpaceNews reported.

Later that day, Wakata was heard on open communications requesting a private medical conference with a flight surgeon. 

These confidential consultations are a routine part of ISS operations, allowing astronauts to discuss health matters privately. 

It is not known whether this request was connected to the medical issue cited by NASA or if Wakata was the crew member affected.

NASA has also not revealed whether the medical issue involved one of the two astronauts scheduled for the now-postponed spacewalk. 

Astronauts typically live in six to eight-month rotations on the ISS, with access to basic medical equipment and medications for some types of emergencies. 

If an evacuation occurs, astronauts would likely board their docked commercial crew capsule that took them to the ISS.

Crew-11 arrived at the ISS on August 1, 2025, meaning their return date is scheduled in late February.

The four astronauts would leave after Crew-12 arrived, no earlier than February 15, to take their places. 

The ISS is required to have astronauts aboard at all times, as they are essential to carry out maintenance, repairs, operate complex experiments, manage life support and perform spacewalks, tasks that automation cannot fully handle, ensuring constant human oversight for safety and scientific output.

Even when two astronauts were stranded in space, NASA did not pull the plug to bring them home. 

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore made headlines in June 2024 when they took off to the ISS aboard a Boeing capsule, which malfunctioned before docking with the space station.

The Boeing craft, named Starliner, returned to Earth without the crew, leaving them in space until March 18, 2025. 

There were calls for NASA to bring Williams and Wilmore home early, but the agency said that, due to no medical issues, the crew could stay until the next rotation.