Washington, 09 January (H.S.): NASA announced Thursday the premature termination of a multinational crew's International Space Station expedition due to an undisclosed medical issue affecting one astronaut, prompting an expedited return to Earth for four crew members originally slated for a six-month tenure.

The affected astronaut, whose identity and precise condition remain confidential to safeguard patient privacy, has stabilized following swift onboard interventions, leading NASA to scrub its inaugural 2026 spacewalk intended for solar array enhancements.

Administrator Jared Isaacman lauded the agency's rapid response during a press briefing, emphasizing astronaut welfare as paramount amid the orbiting laboratory's operational continuum.

Crew Details and Station Continuity

The departing quartet—NASA veterans Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui on her second flight, and Russia's Oleg Platonov debuting in orbit—launched via SpaceX Crew Dragon from Florida in August 2025, joining seven total residents.

Cardman and Fincke were poised for extravehicular tasks to bolster power infrastructure ahead of the station's planned deorbit by SpaceX in late 2030 or early 2031, ensuring controlled oceanic reentry.Three remaining astronauts—NASA's Chris Williams alongside Russians Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who arrived November 2025 via Soyuz for an eight-month mission—will sustain station duties through summer 2026.

This incident underscores the inherent perils of prolonged microgravity exposure, from physiological strain to exigency protocols, as NASA balances scientific yields with human safety in low-Earth orbit's unforgiving domain.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar