In January, NASA carried out the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS). The need arose after one of the Crew-11 astronauts fell sick aboard the orbital lab and had to be transported back home for treatment. The evacuation led to an early end by about a month of the Crew-11 mission, leaving the station with just three residents.
In a statement today, NASA finally revealed the name of the astronaut who needed medical attention. The astronaut is Mike Fincke, pilot of the Crew-11 mission, who insisted NASA should break the news to the world.
NASA is sharing the following information at the request of NASA astronaut Mike Fincke: pic.twitter.com/J3UsExd94H
— NASA (@NASA) February 25, 2026
NASA’s Mike Fincke shares update on his health
“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,” the statement by Fincke read.
“After further evaluation, NASA determined the safest course was an early return for Crew-11-not an emergency, but a carefully coordinated plan to be able to take advantage of advanced medical imaging not available on the space station. On Jan. 15, we splashed down off the coast of San Diego after an amazing five-and-a-half-month mission.”
He went on to thank the Expedition 74 members aboard the ISS along with NASA and SpaceX, and assured that he is “doing very well.” This was the second such update from Fincke since January 12, where he shared the status in a LinkedIn post. Of course, at the time nobody knew it was him. In the post, Fincke said that the evacuation “is the right call, even if it’s bittersweet.”
Crew-11 returned on January 15 aboard their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, culminating the mission a month before schedule.
NASA had initially refrained from divulging any information about the astronaut or the nature of his illness, something which Fincke didn’t share either. Out of all Crew-11 members, Fincke is the most experienced with a total stay of 548 days in space.
Meanwhile, the space station is functioning in its full capacity with seven residents onboard. The occupancy was boosted by Crew-12 members who arrived on February 15 and will stay in space for a total of eight months.
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