America News Agency

The four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean early Thursday. The landing will conclude a week-long effort to bring an unnamed crew member home for evaluation of a medical issue.

The crew departed the International Space Station on Wednesday and is preparing to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere during a 10-hour journey, gradually losing altitude.

The astronauts, who are part of the Crew-11 mission, are expected to splash down off the coast of California at around 03:40 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Thursday.

NASA decided last week to bring the crew home after announcing the cancellation of a planned spacewalk due to a medical issue.

Dr. James Polk, NASA headquarters’ chief health and medical officer, said at a Jan. 8 press conference, “This is not an injury that occurred during operations.”

Polk said the issue is related to “a medical condition experienced in the challenging environment of microgravity,” adding that NASA wanted to bring the astronaut home to make use of its diagnostic tools. Although the International Space Station has a range of medical equipment, it does not have all the tools of a typical emergency room.

NASA did not disclose which crew member experienced the health issue and, aside from saying the individual’s condition is stable and will not require special arrangements for the return journey, the agency provided no further details. Medical information is typically kept confidential to protect astronauts’ privacy.