Washington, Jan. 15 -- In an unprecedented move for the International Space Station (ISS), NASA's four astronauts aboard SpaceX's Crew-11 mission have closed the hatch of their Dragon spacecraft and prepared to undock early as part of the first planned medical evacuation in the station's more than 25-year history.

Crew-11's departure comes after one crew member experienced a medical concern that required bringing the entire team home sooner than originally planned. The mission, which launched in August 2025 for what was meant to be a six-to-eight-month science expedition, was cut short in order to provide advanced medical evaluation and care on Earth.

The crew, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA's Kimiya Yui, and Roscosm...