How to Watch the First-Ever Medical Evacuation from the ISS Live

NASA and SpaceX are preparing for the return of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, with undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) now planned for no earlier than 5:05 pm EST (3:35 AM) on Wednesday, January 14. The undocking would  be subject to favourable weather conditions and will be streamed LIVE on various platforms.
This will be the first ever early evacuation from the ISS.

Mission Status
Early Return
Medical issue forces ahead-of-schedule splashdown

Wednesday, Jan 14
3:30 PM EST
Hatch Closing
: 2:00 AM (Jan 15)

Wednesday, Jan 14
5:05 PM EST
Undocking from ISS
: 3:35 AM (Jan 15)

Thursday, Jan 15
2:51 AM EST
Deorbit Burn
: 1:21 PM (Jan 15)

Thursday, Jan 15
3:41 AM EST
Splashdown
: 2:11 PM (Jan 15)

Recovery Zone
Pacific Ocean off California Coast

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Medical urgency forced Crew-11 early return
The space agency announced on January 8 that Crew-11 would be brought back to Earth ahead of schedule as mission teams continue to assess a medical issue involving one of the astronauts currently aboard the orbital laboratory. NASA confirmed that the crew member is in stable condition but said it cannot disclose further details due to medical privacy protocols.
Check out the Crew-11 launch video below:

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday, January 15.
Officials are closely tracking weather and sea conditions in the recovery zone. The final decision on the exact splashdown time and location will be taken closer to undocking, based on spacecraft readiness, recovery team preparedness and overall mission conditions.

Mission Status
Medical Issue
Announced January 8, 2026

⚕️
Crew Status
Stable Condition

🔒
Privacy Protocol
Details Withheld

⏱️
Response Action
Accelerated Return

🛡️
Compliance
Medical Privacy Laws

Returning Crew Members (4 Astronauts)

Oleg Platonov
Roscosmos (Russia)

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Earlier, NASA astronaut Fincke handed over the command of Expedition 74 aboard the ISS to Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov. Watch the Change of Command Ceremony below:

How to watch LIVE coverage of NASA Crew-11’s return to Earth?
NASA will provide live coverage of the return mission across NASA+, Amazon Prime and the agency’s official YouTube channel.Story continues below this ad
Here is the broadcast schedule (all times in Eastern Time and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Complete Broadcast Schedule

3:00 PM EST
Hatch Closure Coverage Begins
Wednesday, Jan 14

4:45 PM EST
Undocking Coverage Begins
Wednesday, Jan 14

5:05 PM EST
Live Undocking
Wednesday, Jan 14

2:15 AM EST
Return Coverage Begins
Thursday, Jan 15

3:41 AM EST
Live Splashdown
Thursday, Jan 15

5:45 AM EST
Post-Splashdown Coverage
Thursday, Jan 15

⚠️
Audio-only communications available post-undocking between Crew-11, ISS, and flight controllers

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