1 of 6 | NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft aboard the SpaceX recovery ship Shannon after he, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., on January 15. Fincke identified himself as the crew member who had a medical issue in space and needed to return to Earth early. NASA File Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI | License Photo
Astronaut Mike Fincke announced Thursday that he was the member of Crew-11 who experienced a medical event and needed to return to Earth early last month.
Fincke did not disclose the type of medical event he experienced and said it was not an emergency. He said in a statement that he needed to come home “to take advantage of advanced medical imaging not available on the space station.”
“On Jan. 7, while aboard the International Space Station, I experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates. Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized,” Fincke said.
“After further evaluation, NASA determined the safest course was an early return for Crew-11 — not an emergency, but a carefully coordinated plan” to get him to Earth for imaging, he said. “On Jan. 15, we splashed down off the coast of San Diego after an amazing five-and-a-half-month mission.”
It was the first time NASA had executed a medical evacuation. The agency did not disclose the name of the astronaut having a medical issue for privacy reasons.
The Crew-11 team launched on Aug. 1 and were scheduled to return home not long after the evacuation.
“We’re always going to do the right thing for our astronauts, but it’s recognizing it’s the end of the mission right now,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said of the medical evacuation at the time.
“They’ve achieved almost all of their mission objectives,” he added. “Crew-12 is going to launch in a matter of weeks, anyway.”
Crew-12, with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, arrived at the ISS on Feb. 15. They joined NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev.
Fincke said he’s now recovering from the flight.
“I’m doing very well and continuing standard post-flight reconditioning at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston,” Fincke said. “Spaceflight is an incredible privilege, and sometimes it reminds us just how human we are. Thank you all for your support.”
He also expressed his gratitude for those who helped him.
“I am deeply grateful to my fellow Expedition 74 members — Zena Cardman, Kimiya Yui, Oleg Platonov, Chris Williams, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev — as well as the entire NASA team, SpaceX, and the medical professionals at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla near San Diego,” Fincke said. “Their professionalism and dedication ensured a positive outcome.”
NASA sends Crew-12 to ISS
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s Crew-12 aboard lifts off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on February 13, 2026. Photo by Kate Benic/UPI | License Photo
