The first ever medical evacuation from the ISS will take place 14 January 2026 year - the Dragon ship with the crew of the Crew-11 mission undocks from the station.
It became known about the presence of a medical problem on board the ISS 7 January , when NASA canceled a spacewalk scheduled for the next day. Astronauts Mike Fink and Zena Cardman were supposed to take part in it. Shortly thereafter, the Aerospace Administration reported, that plans to return the crew of the Crew-11 mission home ahead of schedule for further diagnosis and treatment of the patient. As of today, it is still not known who exactly got sick and what the problem is, however, according to unofficial data, we are talking about 58-year-old Mike Fink. For him, this is the fourth flight into space and the third long trip to the ISS.
During the press conference, the head of NASA's medical service remarked, that the crew member's health problem is not related to operations. According to him, the reason for the evacuation lies in the difficult conditions of microgravity and the lack of the necessary set of equipment for diagnosis and a full examination of the astronaut.
According to NASA's plan, 15 In January, the ship is anchored in the Pacific Ocean, where it will be picked up by the Shannon. Overloading during reentry can create additional risks for an astronaut, but NASA has worked out scenarios for such cases and instructions for ground teams.
NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Serhiy Kud-Sverchkov and Serhiy Mikaev will remain on board the ISS after the departure of Crew-11. Launching the next manned ship to the station (the Crew-12 mission) pre-scheduled for 15 February.
Source: https://spacenews.com