A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California early Thursday, marking NASA’s first-ever medical evacuation from orbit and ending the crew’s International Space Station (ISS) mission more than a month early. ADVERTISEMENTThe early return was prompted by an undisclosed serious medical condition affecting one of the astronauts. SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the space station. This marked the first time NASA shortened a space mission for medical reasons, though similar steps were taken by Russia decades ago. The space station has previously operated with three astronauts, and at times even fewer.

Source: The Telegraph January 15, 2026 09:41 UTC