NASA has announced that it is evacuating four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) as one of them is suffering from a 'serious medical condition'.
As a result, the US space agency has scrapped its first spacewalk of the year, and the crew is coming home a month early.
NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke have been onboard the ISS since August last year with Japan's Kimiya Yui, as well as Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
The foursome was supposed to stay up there for six months in total, but it has now been announced that Crew-11 will be coming home prematurely.
Advert
Jared Isaacman, NASA's administrator, explained during a press conference: "This was a serious medical condition. That is why we’re pursuing this path."
The identity of the unwell astronaut and the nature of their medical issue have not been revealed due to privacy reasons.
The crew member in question is now 'stable', but the decision was made to return the team to Earth as a precaution.
Isaacman said: "A single crew member on board the station experienced a medical situation and is now stable.
Advert
"After discussions with Chief Health and Medical Officer Dr. J.D. Polk and leadership across the agency, I've come to the decision that it's in the best interest of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure."
NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr James Polk, said: "It's not an emergency evacuation, but we are erring on the side of caution for the crew member."
Dr Polk added that the health issue has not been properly diagnosed, while saying that it posed a 'lingering risk'.
Offering some further details, he said: "This is not an operational issue. This was not an injury that occurred in the pursuit of operations.
"It's mostly having a medical issue in the difficult areas of microgravity, and with the suite of hardware that we have at our avail to complete a diagnosis.
Advert
"Any time we have a medical incident, we embark on looking at diagnoses and what we would call a workup to get a differential diagnosis on what's happening with that patient or astronaut on board."
It first emerged on Wednesday (7 January) that there was a medical issue on board the ISS, which forced the space agency to cancel a scheduled 6.5-hour spacewalk for Thursday.
At the time, a NASA spokesperson said that it 'was actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11's mission', telling Sky News that the safety of the crew was its 'highest priority'.
It is the first time in the ISS's 25-year history that a medical issue has prompted an evacuation.
Advert
There are protocols in place for this kind of event, as NASA stated: "These are the situations Nasa and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely."
Medical supplies, as well as other bits and bobs that would come in handy, are kept on the ISS, while astronauts can touch base with doctors on our planet via various communication systems.
Olivia Burke