Additional Coverage:
Spacewalk Scrapped Due to Crew Medical Concern; NASA Eyes Early Mission End
A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) for Thursday was abruptly canceled Wednesday evening, as NASA cited a “medical concern” involving an unnamed crew member. The agency has indicated it is now exploring “all options,” including the possibility of an earlier return to Earth for the current Crew 11 mission.
While NASA has not identified the astronaut or detailed the medical issue, adhering to standard privacy protocols, the agency confirmed the situation involves a single crew member who is stable. “These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely,” an update from the agency stated, promising further information within 24 hours.
The current ISS inhabitants include commander Mike Fincke, flight engineer Zena Cardman, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. The crew launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on August 1st and was initially expected to remain in orbit until mid-February, with a tentative return date of February 20th.
Prior to the cancellation, Cardman, 38, and Fincke, 58 – a seasoned spacewalker with nine prior excursions – were slated to conduct a spacewalk on Thursday. Their objectives included completing the construction of a truss vital for supporting new roll-out solar arrays and performing other essential maintenance tasks. A second spacewalk by two different astronauts was also on the calendar for next week.
The initial announcement of the spacewalk’s cancellation came earlier Wednesday, with NASA stating it was “monitoring a medical concern with a crew member that arose Wednesday afternoon.” The agency reiterated that the situation was stable and that further details, including a new date for future spacewalks, would be provided later.
A radio exchange just after 2:30 p.m. EST offered a glimpse into the unfolding situation.
Astronaut Kimiya Yui contacted mission control in Houston, requesting a private medical conference (PMC). Mission control confirmed a PMC would be set up and asked if a flight surgeon was available, along with inquiring about internal camera views.
“Houston, do we still have, like, a camera view in Node 2, uh, 3, lab?” Yui asked.
Mission control responded that no internal cameras were active at the moment but could provide a lab view if desired. Yui then reiterated his request for a flight surgeon.
No further exchanges were publicly broadcast, and NASA’s normally live, 24/7 space station audio stream subsequently went silent without explanation.