San Diego, USA – Four astronauts from NASA’s Crew-11 mission safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego early Thursday after their International Space Station mission was cut short due to a medical concern.

The crew—NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov—began their mission on August 1, 2025, and were scheduled to stay aboard the ISS until mid-to-late February. Their return marks the first time in NASA’s history that a mission was ended early because of a medical issue.

NASA officials said the crew undocked on Wednesday and returned after a nearly 10-hour journey. “On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome home, Crew-11,” mission control said as the Dragon capsule touched down around 12:41 a.m. PT/3:41 a.m. ET.

The astronauts spent less than 170 days on the station. A medical issue prompted NASA to bring them back as a precaution so the affected crew member could receive a full evaluation with equipment not available on the station. NASA has not disclosed the identity or details of the medical concern but confirmed the astronaut is in stable condition.

After splashdown, each astronaut was helped out of the capsule and taken for routine medical evaluations in San Diego. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said all four were “safe and in good spirits” and that lessons from the early return would inform future missions.

The departure of Crew-11 leaves the ISS temporarily staffed by just three astronauts: two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut. Crew-12 is scheduled to launch in February, and NASA is reviewing timelines for both that mission and Artemis II.

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