NASA to return four astronauts from International Space Station over medical issue

NASA is expected to bring four astronauts from the International Space Station back to Earth Wednesday afternoon, a month earlier than planned because of a medical issue involving one of the astronauts.

NASA canceled a spacewalk with two of its astronauts last week because of the medical issue, but did not identify the astronaut or provide details on their medical condition. However, the condition is not an emergency that will warrant immediate hospitalization. 

The four returning astronauts are Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke of NASA, Kimiya Yui of the Japanese space agency JAXA, and Oleg Platonov of Russia's Roscosmos. Three other astronauts will remain on the space station: Christopher Williams of NASA and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikaev of Russia, according to the New York Times.

The astronauts are expected to depart the station at 5:20 p.m. Eastern and will splash down in the Pacific about 10 hours later.

The four astronauts are scheduled to be replaced next month. The new group will remain on the station for nine months, and the three still on the station are expected to return to Earth in the summer.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.