NASA considers rare early ISS crew return due to astronaut’s medical issue

(REUTERS) 

NASA is considering a rare early return of an astronaut and their crew from the International Space Station (ISS) due to an unspecified medical issue, hours after cancelling a planned spacewalk that was scheduled for Thursday, the agency said.

A NASA spokeswoman said the astronaut, whose identity she did ⁠not disclose out of medical privacy, ⁠was in a stable condition on the orbiting laboratory.

"Safely ​conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of ​an earlier end to ‍Crew-11’s mission," the spokeswoman said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Returning the four-person ‍Crew-11 crew would ⁠be a ​rare consequence of a medical issue aboard the ​ISS, where astronauts typically live in ‍six to eight-month rotations with access to basic medical equipment and medications for some types of emergencies.