Crew-11 back home so that mission member can receive proper medical attention.
In a bittersweet moment, a historical and unprecedented ‘controlled medical evacuation’ brought back NASA/Space X’s Crew-11 back to Earth months ahead of schedule.
The four astronauts undocked and returned back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean today (15) off the Southern California coast.
Medical evac underway — Crew-11 UNDOCKS from ISS in SpaceX Dragon capsule
1st medical evacuation in over 2 decades
NASA confirms single affected astronaut’s ‘condition is stable’ pic.twitter.com/QsP8uu03TR
— RT (@RT_com) January 14, 2026
That’s not a shooting star.
Crew-11 astronauts coming back to Earth from ISS. Spotted over Los Angeles.
pic.twitter.com/y1dCeCUCE4— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) January 15, 2026
“Descending under four large parachutes, Crew 11 commander Zena Cardman, co-pilot Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov landed in the Pacific off San Diego at 3:41 a.m. EST, closing out a 167-day stay in space.
SpaceX recovery crews reached the Crew Dragon capsule shortly after splashdown and hauled it aboard a company ship before opening its hatch and helping the returning station crew out of the spacecraft for initial medical checks.
[…] ‘It’s so good to be home, with deep gratitude to the teams that got us there and back’, Cardman replied.”
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/8LFpdKwizc
— NASA (@NASA) January 15, 2026
Dolphins welcome Crew Dragon back
As the capsule splashed down in the ocean, it was surrounded by a pod of dolphins
Earth’s original inhabitants take over the meet and greet https://t.co/9W6GDzRRyy pic.twitter.com/a8yNr0pulD
— RT (@RT_com) January 15, 2026
“The crew appeared healthy and in good spirts as they were helped out of the cramped capsule and onto waiting stretchers — normal procedure for returning station crews — smiling and waving as they began re-adjusting to gravity after five-and-a-half months in weightlessness.”
Scientific American reported:
“When asked at a press conference Thursday if NASA planned to release further information about the medical situation that prompted the evacuation, agency chief Jared Isaacman said NASA is ‘very committed to being transparent’.
‘There are some medical privacy considerations here. That said, to the extent that we are in a position to share more information publicly and have the necessary consent, we would do so’, he said. Obviously, we took this action because it was a serious medical issue’, Isaacman said. ‘The astronaut in question is fine, right now, in good spirits and going through the proper medical check’.”
BACK ON EARTH AFTER 167 DAYS IN SPACE
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 exits the Dragon capsule after leaving ISS early due to ‘serious medical condition’ of one of the astronauts
The crew:
Mike Fincke
Zena Cardman
Kimiya Yui
Oleg Platonov https://t.co/Yql5cS4zYt pic.twitter.com/TMOgpGwh5h
— RT (@RT_com) January 15, 2026
Welcome home! #Crew11 @NASA_Astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off the coast of California after 167 days days in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the… pic.twitter.com/BYwrkYSpTI
— NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) January 15, 2026
Read more:
Two Days Away From NASA’s ‘Controlled Medical Evacuation’ of Crew-11 Astronauts, Ceremony of Change of Command Takes Place in the International Space Station (VIDEO)
The post NASA’s Crew-11 Is Safely Back on Earth From International Space Station – Serious Health Issue With Astronaut Triggered Unprecedented Medical Evacuation (VIDEO COLLECTION) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.