NASA has initiated a “medical evacuation” operation, a first in the 65-year history of human spaceflight, after an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) required medical attention. The SpaceX capsule carrying Crew-11 departed from the station on Wednesday.
Elchi.az reports that the Dragon Endeavour capsule, carrying a total of four astronauts from the US, Russia, and Japan, is expected to land in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego early Thursday morning. This decision shortened the team’s mission by about a month.
Identity and diagnosis remain confidential
NASA officials have not disclosed the identity of the astronaut requiring medical attention or the nature of the health problem, citing patient confidentiality. However, former station commander Mike Fincke said on social media that the astronaut’s condition was “stable and safe” and that the evacuation decision was taken as a “precautionary measure” to use fully equipped diagnostic facilities on Earth.
Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov, who left for the station in August, were scheduled to continue their missions until the end of February. However, the sudden cancellation of the planned spacewalk on January 7 and the subsequent announcement of the evacuation decision accelerated the process.
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