NASA and SpaceX have officially solidified the timeline for the return of Crew-11, marking the first time in the International Space Station's 25-year history that a mission has been cut short for a medical extraction. Following a series of consultations between NASA leadership and Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. J.D. Polk, the agency announced that the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the orbital laboratory at 5:00 PM EST on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. This decision accelerates the crew's homecoming by approximately three weeks, moving their return up from a previously planned late-February departure.

The decision was triggered by a "non-emergency medical concern" involving a single, unidentified crew member that emerged on January 7. While NASA has been quick to emphasize that the individual remains in stable condition and that the situation is not an immediate life-threatening emergency, the agency determined that a full "medical workup" using terrestrial diagnostic tools was necessary. Dr. Polk explained that while the ISS is equipped with a robust suite of medical hardware, it lacks the advanced imaging and diagnostic capabilities found in a modern hospital emergency department, making a return to Earth the most responsible course of action.

The returning quartet includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Since arriving at the station in August 2025, the crew has completed nearly five months of their planned six-month rotation. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed that the team has already achieved the majority of their core mission objectives, including critical scientific experiments and station maintenance, ensuring that the early departure does not significantly compromise the mission’s overall research goals.

As part of the departure preparations, the crew has been conducting "fit checks" of their SpaceX pressure suits. This is a vital step for any long-duration mission return, as the human spine lengthens and body fluids shift in microgravity, potentially altering the fit of the suits. The astronauts have also been stowing personal items and finalized the transfer of station command. In a bittersweet ceremony scheduled for today, veteran astronaut Mike Fincke will hand over command of Expedition 74 to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who will remain aboard the station.

The return journey itself is expected to take approximately 11 hours from undocking to splashdown. Following the 5:00 PM EST undocking on Wednesday, the Dragon spacecraft will perform a series of departure burns to distance itself from the ISS. A critical deorbit burn is scheduled for 2:50 AM EST on Thursday, January 15, which will slow the spacecraft enough to begin its high-speed re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. If weather conditions in the Pacific recovery zones remain favorable, a splashdown is targeted for 3:40 AM EST off the coast of California, likely near San Diego.

This early departure will temporarily reduce the ISS crew to just three members: NASA’s Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev. While the station typically operates with a crew of seven, NASA is experienced in managing "short-handed" operations and has indicated they are evaluating the possibility of moving up the launch of the Crew-12 mission to restore the station to full capacity sooner than the original mid-February target.

Following the splashdown, the Crew-11 astronauts will be retrieved by SpaceX recovery teams and flown immediately to a medical facility for evaluation. NASA has scheduled a post-landing media conference for 5:45 AM EST on January 15 to provide further updates on the recovery and the crew's status. While the identity of the affected astronaut remains protected under medical privacy protocols, the mission's early conclusion serves as a stark reminder of the unique physiological challenges posed by long-term life in microgravity and NASA’s "safety-first" philosophy.es.