A SpaceX capsule transporting four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after completing the first-ever medical evacuation in the orbital lab’s history, video footage from NASA has shown.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, known as the “Endeavour”, began its 10-and-a-half-hour descent from orbit at 22:30 GMT on Wednesday and landed off the coast of San Diego, California, at 12:41am local time (08:41 GMT) on Thursday.
The video feed from NASA showed the landing of the capsule carrying American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui.
It’s the first time in the station’s history a mission has been cut short for medical reasons.
NASA hasn’t revealed which crew member is ill but says they are in good spirits and undergoing thorough checks in hospital.
Al Jazeera’s Caley Callahan reports.
Robert Massey is the Deputy Executive Director at the Royal Astronomical Society. He joins us from Sussex to discuss the latest developments.
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