NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke Reveals He Was Reason for First Medical Evacuation from ISS

Mike Fincke, a 58-year-old experienced NASA astronaut, revealed in a statement published by the agency that he was the person responsible for the first-ever premature medical evacuation of a crew from the International Space Station (ISS). The medical event, whose nature Fincke did not disclose, occurred on January 7, 2026, aboard the space station. As he reports, it required immediate assistance and intervention from his three Crew-11 mission companions: American Zena Cardman, Japanese Kimiyi Yui, and Russian Oleg Platonov. "Thanks to their quick reaction and the guidance from our NASA flight surgeons, my condition quickly stabilized," the astronaut wrote. Despite the stabilization, after a more thorough assessment of Fincke's health, NASA made the unprecedented decision to prematurely end the entire mission and bring the four-member crew back to Earth. Residents of the ISS, like all astronauts, undergo intensive examinations before flight, and their health is constantly monitored during missions. Medical evacuations from the station are extremely rare because isolation and treatment procedures in orbit are highly developed. Previous crew returns were related to the completion of standard missions, technical problems, or, as in the case of Soyuz missions in the past, for safety reasons related to spacecraft damage. The return journey to Earth lasted nearly 11 hours. The Crew Dragon capsule, belonging to SpaceX, safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, California, on January 15. From there, the evacuated astronauts were transported by helicopter to a hospital in San Diego for basic examinations and then taken to NASA's main astronaut center – the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Although details about the ailment remain confidential, Fincke assures that he already feels "very well." This is already his fourth spaceflight in his career, making him one of NASA's most experienced active astronauts. The agency's decision not to disclose the identity of the ill crew member was dictated by standard privacy protection practices for astronauts. Fincke himself decided to break this anonymity more than a month after the event. This first medical evacuation from the ISS highlights the challenges associated with healthcare during long-term space missions and demonstrates the readiness of emergency procedures. The question remains open as to whether and how this event will affect future safety protocols and crew selection and training. NASA also did not provide information on whether and when Fincke and the other members of the Crew-11 mission will be able to return to full service and be assigned to future flights.