{"id":9651,"date":"2026-01-07T20:33:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-weighs-an-earlier-end-to-the-crew-11-mission-after-a-medical-situation-with-an-iss-crew-member-postpones-first-spacewalk-of-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T20:33:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:33:57","slug":"nasa-weighs-an-earlier-end-to-the-crew-11-mission-after-a-medical-situation-with-an-iss-crew-member-postpones-first-spacewalk-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-weighs-an-earlier-end-to-the-crew-11-mission-after-a-medical-situation-with-an-iss-crew-member-postpones-first-spacewalk-of-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA weighs an earlier end to the Crew-11 mission after a \u2018medical situation\u2019 with an ISS crew member postpones first spacewalk of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At center, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and Expedition 74 Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui assists NASA astronauts Zena Cardman (left) and Mike Fincke (right), the station\u2019s flight engineer and commander respectively, during spacesuit checks inside the International Space Station\u2019s Quest airlock. Image: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Update Jan. 8, 12:30 a.m. EST (0530 UTC): Adding new statement from NASA.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Update Jan. 7, 9:30 p.m. EST (0230 UTC): Added information about the ISS livestreams being taken offline.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

NASA is weighing whether it may need to call for an earlier end the SpaceX Crew-11 mission on the International Space Station after a \u201cmedical situation\u201d occurred on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The initial revelation, which was first described by the agency as a \u201cmedical concern,\u201d caused NASA to announce on Wednesday evening that it was postponing the first spacewalk of 2026 from the ISS. Two NASA astronauts had been scheduled to venture outside the station on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cSafely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11\u2019s mission,\u201d NASA said shortly after midnight on Thursday. \u201cThese are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely. We will provide further updates within the next 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next planned flight to the ISS is the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, which is currently slated to launch no earlier than Feb. 15, 2026. It\u2019s unclear if NASA would try to work with SpaceX and the other international partners and move up the launch of that Dragon spacecraft or even how much latitude would be available at this point in time.<\/p>\n

The overnight statement came several hours after NASA first announced the medical issue with an ISS crew member. NASA said that the issue involves a \u201csingle crew member who is stable,\u201d but as per typical policy, it didn\u2019t disclose further details or the identity of the crew member.<\/p>\n

NASA said it would share additional details, including a new date for the spacewalk at a later time. Roughly an hour before making its initial announcement, the agency also took offline its two ISS live feeds, which include air to ground communications audio.<\/p>\n

Astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman were to have spent about 6.5 hours outside the space station on a roughly 6.5 hour extravehicular activity (EVA), designated U.S. spacewalk 94. Fincke was to become just the sixth U.S. astronaut to perform a total of 10 spacewalks.<\/p>\n

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronaut Chris Williams were to help get Fincke and Cardman into their space suits.<\/p>\n