SpaceX To Carry Out NASA’s First-Ever Medical Evacuation From ISS

• The agency did not name the ailing astronaut or divulge details of their medical condition.
• The agency is now working with SpaceX to advance the launch of Crew-12.
• Elon Musk’s rocket manufacturing company previously helped NASA return two astronauts who were stranded on the space station owing to technical issues identified with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

Space agency NASA said on Wednesday that a crew of four astronauts aboard the international space station (ISS) will return earlier than expected owing to a medical emergency in a SpaceX spacecraft.

This marks the agency’s first attempt at a medical evacuation from the space station.

Evacuation Plans

NASA said in a statement that it expects to undock crew-11 from the space station no earlier than 5:20 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Jan. 14. The team of four, including NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, are expected to splash down off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.

The four astronauts launched to space on Aug. 1, 2025, for a trip expected to last around six months.

What Happened?

NASA announced the decision to return the crew earlier than expected last week, citing medical concerns with a crew member. The agency did not name the ailing astronaut or divulge details of their medical condition. However, it said that the astronaut is stable.

On Jan. 7, the agency announced it was postponing a planned spacewalk originally scheduled for Jan. 8 while teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member.

The agency is now also working with SpaceX to advance the launch of Crew-12. Crew-12 was previously slated to fly on Feb. 15.

SpaceX’s Previous Saving Attempt

Elon Musk’s rocket manufacturing company previously helped NASA return two astronauts who were stranded on the space station owing to technical issues identified with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

The Starliner spacecraft launched in June 2024 and experienced technical issues, and NASA subsequently chose SpaceX to return astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth after about three months. The astronauts were expected to be at the station for only eight days initially.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around SPACEX trended within ‘bearish’ territory accompanied by ‘high’ message volume.  

SpaceX is currently privately held. However, in December, Bloomberg reported that SpaceX is moving ahead with plans for an IPO as early as 2026 and targeting a valuation of about $1.5 billion in what could be the largest IPO of all time. Bloomberg also noted that the timing of the IPO is uncertain and the company could choose to delay or abandon the plan altogether.

Read More: GM Shares Drop After FTC Bans Automaker From Sharing Consumers’ Geolocation Data

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