CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Today Jan 13, NASA managers gave the GO for the NASA SpaceX Crew-11 mission quartet of astronauts and cosmonauts to undock from the International Space Station on Wednesday, Jan 14, in order to expedite the return of the ailing astronaut – so the crew member can receive the best medical care to deal with the serious medical condition forcing an early return to Earth!
Crew Dragon Endeavour Undocking targeting Jan 14 around 5 PM ET with splashdown Jan 15 around 340 AM off the coast of California – weather permitting which looks good at this time
The serious medical condition for one of the crew members suddenly occurred last Wednesday, Jan. 7, as two of the crew members were undergoing preparations to conduct a spacewalk EVA on Thursday, Jan 8
The spacewalk was cancelled by the sudden and unexpected illness and NASA immediately got medical staff and flight surgeons involved with the ailing crew member.
On Friday new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacmann announced that Crew-11 would be returning to Earth earlier than planned
For privacy reasons, NASA has not identified the ailing astronaut or the medical condition forcing the early return
You can watch the events live on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.
Mission managers continue monitoring conditions in the recovery area, as undocking of the SpaceX Dragon depends on spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors.
NASA and SpaceX will select a specific splashdown time and location closer to the Crew-11 spacecraft undocking.
NASA Crew-11 was launched on Aug. 1, 2025 on Crew Dragon Endeavour for a nominal 6 month science expedition aboard the ISS.
They had been scheduled to return home around Feb. 20, 2026 following the arrival of the Crew-12 astronaut quartet.
Crew-11 comprises Pilot Mike Fincke (who served as ISS commander for the past month), Commander Zena Cardman, JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
The early return is unprecedented. In the 25-year history of the ISS there has never before been a medical evacuation of any crew member
Further details from NASA and an events timeline follows:
“Expedition 74 is preparing to split up as four crew members turn their attention to Wednesday’s departure. The homebound quartet—representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission—spent Tuesday packing cargo, reviewing return to Earth procedures, and transferring hardware aboard the International Space Station.
Mission managers have given the “go” for the return to Earth of NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov aboard the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft. Cardman will command and Fincke will pilot Dragon alongside Mission Specialists Yui and Platonov when it undocks from the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 5:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday. Weather is looking excellent for Dragon’s parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday.
NASA+ begins its live coverage at 3 p.m. on Wednesday when the foursome enters Dragon, says goodbye to the crew on the orbital outpost, and closes the hatch. NASA+ returns at 4:45 p.m. for Dragon undocking coverage. Next, NASA+ will be back on the air at 2:15 a.m. on Thursday when Dragon begins its descent toward Earth. Finally, at 5:45 a.m. NASA+ will broadcast the post-splashdown news conference. All the activities can be viewed on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.
Cardman began Tuesday with her departing crewmates and trained to use respirators during unlikely events such as an ammonia leak. Next, she transferred standard emergency gear from Dragon and stowed it inside the space station with assistance from NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams. Fincke and Yui partnered together and uninstalled science hardware from the station and loaded it inside Dragon. All four crew members, including Platonov, continued packing personal items, practiced Dragon deorbit procedures on a computer, and discussed their mission readiness with mission controllers on the ground. Three crew members will remain aboard the orbital outpost after Crew-11 leaves.
Expedition 74 will be commanded by Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov leading Flight Engineers Sergei Mikaev and Williams. Kud-Sverchkov and Mikaev started their shift on Tuesday taking a test assessing how crews make decisions and work together in space. Next, Kud-Sverchkov participated in a blood pressure study then jogged on a treadmill for a physical fitness test. Mikaev also took part in the blood pressure study then inventoried cargo and hardware stowed throughout the station’s Roscosmos segment. Williams spent the day supporting his departing crewmates.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.”
NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to changed based on real-time operations):
Wednesday, Jan. 14
3 p.m. – Hatch closure coverage begins
3:30 p.m. – Hatch closing
4:45 p.m. – Undocking coverage begins
5 p.m. – Undocking
Thursday, Jan. 15
2:15 a.m. – Return coverage begins
2:50 a.m. – Deorbit burn
3:40 a.m. – Splashdown
5:45 a.m. – Return to Earth media news conference
NASA will share more details about its coverage plans in the coming days.
Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.
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Ken Kremer interviews
Jan 13 Fox 35 Orlando: Crew 11 update
Jan 8 Fox 35 Orlando: Here is my complete live interview by FOX 35 Orlando anchor Garret Wymer that’s was recorded at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8 – about the ailing crew 11 astronaut on board the International Space Station.
https://youtu.be/IPwuC-SSlqE?si=sdh98X9HAJ0SjxGR
Caption: Spacewalk canceled, Crew 11 could come home early – NASA has postponed its first ISS spacewalk of the year, citing medical concerns for one of its crew members. NASA astronauts planned two spacewalks in January to conduct repairs and upgrades to the International Space Station. Ken Kremer, managing editor of Space UpClose, spoke with FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer about the latest on Jan 8, 2026
Jan 9 at WFTV ABC News Orlando: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/nasa-finalizing-crew-11-return-013912159.html
Jan 10 Fox 35 Orlando: https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/nasa-spacex-set-date-crew-11s-return-earth-what-we-know
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