NASA has decided to end a mission on the International Space Station prematurely due to a medical problem experienced by one of the astronauts. The space agency announced on Thursday that the crew of four, comprising members from the U.S., Japan, and Russia, will return to Earth earlier than scheduled in the upcoming days.
As a consequence of the health concern, NASA has called off its first spacewalk of the year. The agency has maintained confidentiality regarding the identity of the astronaut affected and the nature of the medical issue, citing privacy reasons. However, the crew member’s condition is reported to be stable.
Currently, seven astronauts are residing and conducting operations on the space station. The most recent crew arrived in August after departing from Florida. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commended the prompt actions taken across the agency to guarantee the astronauts’ safety during a press conference held on Thursday.
The crew set to return home arrived at the space station in August via SpaceX for a planned duration of at least six months. The team included U.S. astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
Initially, Cardman and Fincke were scheduled to undertake a spacewalk to prepare for the installation of additional solar panels to enhance the station’s power supply. Fincke has visited the space station on four occasions, while Yui has been there twice. This mission marked the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov.
At present, three other astronauts are stationed at the space station, comprising NASA’s Chris Williams and Russia’s Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who launched in November aboard a Soyuz rocket for an eight-month mission. They are expected to return to Earth in the summer.