WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Bernama-dpa) -- NASA said on Friday it intends to begin the early return of its four-member Crew-11 team from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The agency plans to undock the spacecraft no earlier than 5 pm (2200 GMT), weather permitting, according to a statement from the space agency.
If all goes according to plan, the astronauts are expected to splash down off the coast of California on Thursday at about 3:40 am. The exact timing will be confirmed closer to departure and will depend on weather, sea conditions and other factors.
NASA announced on Thursday that this would be the first time in ISS history that a crew is returned early due to the health concerns of a single astronaut.
The agency has not revealed the identity of the crew member or the nature of the medical issue, but said it is unrelated to ISS duties and does not constitute an emergency. NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer James Polk said the astronaut is in stable condition.
The health issue had already prompted NASA to cancel a planned spacewalk on Thursday, which would have involved US astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke.
They, along with Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, have been aboard the ISS since early August and were originally scheduled to stay for several more weeks.
--BERNAMA-dpa
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