Crew-11 Astronauts Hold News Conference After Historic Space Station Return

HOUSTON — After 167 days in space, the crew members of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission held a news conference at 2:15 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss their science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

Crew-11 Astronauts Share Details From Abbreviated Mission

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov answered questions about their mission. The four-member crew discussed their experiences aboard the orbiting laboratory, highlighting the significant scientific achievements accomplished during their abbreviated tenure in space.

The crew members returned to Earth on Jan. 15, splashing down off the coast of San Diego, and arrived in Houston on Friday, where they will undergo standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations. Following splashdown and recovery, the four crew members completed a planned overnight stay at a local medical facility for additional evaluation and have been released as expected. All crew members remain stable.

Historic First-Ever Medical Evacuation From Orbit

It's the first time in NASA's history that a medical issue prompted an early end to a space mission. NASA announced its decision to return the agency's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to Earth from the International Space Station earlier than originally planned as teams monitor a medical concern with a crew member currently living and working aboard the orbital laboratory.

Though it has always been a contingency the agency has considered, NASA has never had to cut short a mission before due to an astronaut falling ill. Crew members have had medical problems in space, but they never rose so high as to come home early. Under strict medical privacy guidelines, NASA has not identified the astronaut who had the medical issue in orbit or provided any details about its nature.

Remarkable Scientific Achievements in Space

Despite the abbreviated mission timeline, Crew-11 achieved substantial scientific results. The crew spent more than five months in space, including 165 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, traveling nearly 71 million miles, and completing more than 2,670 orbits around Earth. While living and working aboard the station, the crew completed hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Crew-11 completed more than 140 science experiments that advance human exploration. The crew members also celebrated the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory on Nov. 2, 2025.

Mission Crew Members and Their Experience

The Crew-11 mission was Fincke's fourth spaceflight, Yui's second, and the first for Cardman and Platonov. Fincke has logged 549 days in space, ranking him fourth among all NASA astronauts for cumulative days in space. The diverse international crew brought together expertise from NASA, Japan's space agency, and Russia's space program.

The crew appeared healthy and in good spirits as they were helped out of the cramped capsule and onto waiting stretchers -- normal procedure for returning station crews -- smiling and waving as they began re-adjusting to gravity after five-and-a-half months in weightlessness.

NASA Leadership Commends Crew Performance

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated, "I couldn't be prouder of our astronauts and the teams on the ground at NASA, SpaceX, and across our international partnerships. Their professionalism and focus kept the mission on track, even with an adjusted timeline."

Missions like Crew-11 demonstrate the capability inherent in America's space program—our ability to bring astronauts home as needed, launch new crews quickly, and continue pushing forward on human spaceflight as we prepare for our historic Artemis II mission, from low Earth orbit to the Moon and ultimately Mars.

Impact on Space Station Operations

The early return of Crew-11 has reshaped station operations and launch schedules. Their departure leaves the space station with just three people. Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev, along with NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, who arrived at the station in a Soyuz capsule on Nov. 27, 2025, remain aboard.

SpaceX's Crew-12 mission, the next crew rotation for the station, is set to launch no earlier than Feb. 15 from Florida's Space Coast, carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

The Crew-11 astronauts' news conference marks a significant milestone in spaceflight history, demonstrating NASA's commitment to crew safety while maintaining the scientific mission of the International Space Station. The successful completion of this unprecedented medical evacuation reinforces the agency's readiness to respond to emergencies while advancing human exploration of space.