International Astronauts Head to ISS Following NASA's First Medical Evacuation

New Crew Launches to International Space Station

A new team of astronauts embarked on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, traveling aboard a SpaceX rocket. This mission marks a significant milestone as it aims to replace crew members who were previously evacuated from space due to medical reasons, making this NASA's first medical evacuation from orbit.

NASA initiated the expedited launch to fill the vacant positions left by the evacuated astronauts. The incoming crew consists of astronauts from the United States, France, and Russia, and they are expected to remain on the ISS for an eight- to nine-month stay, extending into autumn. They are scheduled to arrive on Saturday, restoring the station to its full crew complement.

Once the spacecraft reached orbit, SpaceX Launch Control humorously remarked, "It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day." Mission commander Jessica Meir responded with enthusiasm: "That was quite a ride."

During the month-long crew shortage, NASA had to suspend spacewalks and delay various tasks while waiting for the replacements. The new crew—comprising Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev—will now join the skeleton crew of three astronauts, consisting of one American and two Russians, who have been maintaining station operations during the interim period.

This mission marked the first instance in 65 years of human spaceflight where NASA terminated a mission early due to medical concerns. NASA expressed confidence in the existing medical protocols aboard the station, stating that no additional pre-launch medical screenings or specialized diagnostic equipment were required. However, an onboard ultrasound machine, typically used for research purposes, was urgently utilized on January 7 to examine the unwell crew member.

NASA has not disclosed the identity of the astronaut or details about their condition. All four returning crew members were hospitalized immediately after their Pacific Ocean splashdown near San Diego.

With missions becoming longer, NASA is continuously evaluating upgrades to the space station’s medical gear, according to deputy programme manager Dina Contella. "But there are a lot of things that are just not practical, and so that’s when you need to bring astronauts home from space," she said earlier this week.

In preparation for future moon and Mars trips, where healthcare will be even more challenging, the new arrivals will test a filter designed to turn drinking water into emergency IV fluid. They will also try out an ultrasound system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality instead of experts on the ground. Additionally, they will perform ultrasound scans on their jugular veins as part of a blood clot study.

The crew will also demonstrate their Moon-landing skills in a simulated test. Adenot is only the second French woman to launch to space. She was 14 when Claudie Haignere flew to Russia’s space station Mir in 1996, which inspired her to become an astronaut. Haignere traveled to Cape Canaveral to cheer her on.

"I thought it would have been a quiet joy with pride for Sophie, but it was so hugely emotional to see her with a successful launch," Haignere said.

Hathaway, like Adenot, is new to space, while Meir and Fedyaev are making their second station trip. Just before liftoff, Fedyaev led the crew in a cry of “Poyekhali” — Russian for “Let's Go” — the word uttered at liftoff by the world's first person in space, the Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin, in 1961.

On her first mission in 2019, Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk. The other half of that spacewalk, Christina Koch, is among the four Artemis II astronauts waiting to fly around the moon as early as March. A ship-to-ship radio linkup is planned between the two crews.