NASA and Space Policy

In January 2026 NASA ordered the early return of four Crew‑11 members after a serious medical condition affecting one astronaut — which led to the cancellation of a planned spacewalk — prompting what officials and observers called the agency’s first medically driven evacuation of a long‑duration mission; the astronaut is reported stable, with identity and diagnosis withheld. Crew members said the ISS’s portable ultrasound, a tool they routinely train with, was used extensively during the Jan. 7 incident and proved critical to on‑orbit assessment before the crew’s splashdown and transfer to hospital care.