TOKYO, Jan 15 (Bernama-Kyodo) — Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and three colleagues returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, about a month earlier than planned after a medical issue cut short the mission, according to the US space agency, Kyodo News reported.
The SpaceX spacecraft carrying the astronauts splashed down in the waters off the coast of California after departing from the ISS. The four had spent about five months aboard the ISS conducting science experiments.
According to NASA, one of the astronauts reported medical concerns on Jan. 7, prompting the cancellation of the following day’s scheduled activities outside the spacecraft. The person is in stable condition but requires a medical checkup on Earth, the agency said.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration did not identify the person for privacy reasons. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has told Kyodo News that Yui, 55, has no health issues.
Yui wrote on social media ahead of the return to Earth that his work at the Japanese laboratory Kibo on the ISS has “been the brightest moment of my life,” adding, “Let’s meet on Earth, the most beautiful in the vast outer space.”
It is the first time NASA has brought forward a crew’s return for a medical reason in the 25-year history of the ISS, the organisation said. The four astronauts launched to the ISS from Florida in August, and they were originally set to return in mid-February or later.
— BERNAMA-KYODO