NASA has disclosed that astronaut Mike Fincke was the crew member whose medical issue led to the early return of SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission from the International Space Station (ISS) in January.
Fincke, pilot of Crew-11 and commander of Expedition 74, said he experienced a medical event that required “immediate attention” from his crewmates. While not classified as an emergency, the issue required advanced medical imaging that was not available aboard the ISS.
“I experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates,” Fincke said in a statement released on Feb. 25. He did not disclose further details about the condition.
As a result, Fincke and his fellow Crew-11 members — NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov — returned to Earth aboard Crew Dragon “Endeavour” on Jan. 15, roughly 1 month earlier than planned.
The issue first emerged on Jan. 7, as Fincke and Cardman prepared for a scheduled spacewalk. At the time, NASA confirmed it was monitoring a medical concern but did not identify the astronaut involved. On Jan. 8, the agency announced that Crew-11 would conclude early.
Crew-11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Jan. 15, leaving 3 crew members aboard the ISS: NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev.
NASA and SpaceX accelerated the launch of Crew-12 to restore normal staffing levels. Crew Dragon “Freedom” lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Feb. 13, returning the ISS to its usual crew complement of 7 astronauts.
After landing, the Crew-11 astronauts were transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla near San Diego for evaluation. Fincke thanked medical teams, NASA and SpaceX, stating, “Their professionalism and dedication ensured a positive outcome.”
He confirmed he is recovering well and undergoing routine post-flight conditioning at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are,” he said.
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