NASA evacuated Mike Fincke from the International Space Station in January after a medical emergency forced the Crew-11 mission to end a month early. The agency revealed that Fincke experienced an unknown medical event on January 7 that required immediate attention from his fellow crew members.

The incident marked the first medical evacuation in ISS history. Fincke's condition stabilized quickly thanks to the quick response of flight surgeons, but the emergency forced NASA to cancel a planned spacewalk and accelerate the crew's return to Earth on January 15. The four-person crew had been living and working aboard the ISS since August.

NASA's chief health and medical officer made the decision to return the crew early, with administrator Jared Isaacman later describing it as a "serious situation." Fincke is currently recovering at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, participating in standard post-flight reconditioning. Meanwhile, Crew-12 launched early to replace the evacuated astronauts and docked at the ISS on February 14 for an eight-month stay.