NASA has decided to end a mission on the International Space Station prematurely due to a medical emergency involving one of the astronauts. The space agency announced on Thursday that the four-member crew consisting of individuals from the United States, Japan, and Russia will be returning to Earth sooner than originally scheduled.
The cancellation of NASA’s first spacewalk of the year was a direct result of the medical issue affecting one of the crew members. While NASA did not disclose the identity of the astronaut or the specific medical problem out of respect for privacy, they confirmed that the individual’s condition is now stable.
Currently, seven astronauts are residing and conducting operations on the space station. The most recent crew, which arrived in August after launching from Florida, includes U.S. astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
The planned spacewalk, intended to prepare for the installation of additional solar panels for increased power supply to the station, was to be carried out by Fincke and Cardman. This mission marked Fincke’s fourth visit to the space station, while Yui had previously been there once. For Cardman and Platonov, this mission represented their first spaceflight experience.
In a statement during a news conference on Thursday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commended the agency’s prompt actions to ensure the well-being and safety of the astronauts amid the unexpected situation.
Additionally, three other astronauts are presently on the space station, comprising NASA’s Chris Williams and Russia’s Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who commenced their eight-month stay in November after launching aboard a Soyuz rocket. Their return to Earth is anticipated in the summer.