The American space agency, NASA, has announced that the early return procedure of its Crew-11 crew, consisting of four members, from the International Space Station (ISS) will begin on Wednesday.
NASA plans to detach the spacecraft as early as 5:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. GMT), if weather permits, according to a statement from the space agency.
If everything goes according to plan, the astronauts are expected to splash down off the coast of California on Thursday around 3:40 a.m. local time. The exact time will be confirmed closer to the departure time and will depend on the weather, maritime conditions, and other factors, as reported by the DPA and EFE agencies.
Astronauts are already packing their bags
The four members of the mission have started packing and storing their belongings for departure and have tested the spacesuits they will wear upon returning aboard a Dragon capsule, as explained in a statement by the American space agency.
NASA announced on Thursday that this will be the first time in ISS history that a crew is evacuated early due to a crew member's health issues.
The agency did not disclose the identity of this crew member or the nature of the medical issue, but clarified that it is unrelated to ISS duties and is not an emergency.
NASA's chief medical officer, James Polk, stated that the astronaut's condition is stable. However, according to NASA, the astronaut needs to return to Earth for medical tests as the station lacks the necessary capabilities to perform complex diagnostics.
The health issue has already led NASA to cancel a spacewalk planned for Thursday, in which American astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke were supposed to participate.
The two, along with Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, have been aboard the ISS since early August and were scheduled to remain on the space laboratory for several more weeks.
The launch of Crew-12 from Florida, the next mission in the ISS crew rotation, is scheduled for mid-February.
An extremely rare issue
It is very rare for a medical issue to lead to the shortening of an entire mission, according to experts.
Prior to the existence of the ISS, in 1985, a Soviet mission was canceled after the severe illness of its commander, Vladimir Vasiutin. He suffered from acute prostatitis in space, leading to the crew's return to Earth about two months earlier, as noted by EFE.