The International Space Station is seen from the space shuttle Atlantis on July 19, 2011, after it left the orbiting complex. (NASA via AP, File)2026-01-08T15:36:01Z NEW YORK (AP) NASA is cutting a mission aboard the International Space Station short after an astronaut had a medical issue.The space agency said Thursday the U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four will return to Earth in the coming days, earlier than planned. NASA canceled its first spacewalk of the year because of the health issue. The space agency did not identify the astronaut or the medical issue, citing patient privacy. The crew member is now stable.Seven astronauts are currently living and working aboard the space station. The latest crew arrived in August after launching from Florida. Im proud of the swift effort across the agency thus far to ensure the safety of our astronauts, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said at a Thursday press conference.The crew of four returning home arrived at the orbiting lab via SpaceX in August for a stay of at least six months. The crew included NASAs Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke along with Japans Kimiya Yui and Russias Oleg Platonov. Fincke and Cardman were supposed to carry out the spacewalk to make preparations for a future rollout of solar panels to provide additional power for the space station. It was Finckes fourth visit to the space station and Yius second time, according to NASA. This was the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov.Three other astronauts are currently living and working aboard the space station including NASAs Chris Williams and Russias Sergei Mikaev and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who launched in November aboard a Soyuz rocket for an eight-month stay. Theyre due to return home in the summer. NASA has tapped SpaceX to eventually bring the space station out of orbit by late 2030 or early 2031. Plans called for a safe reentry over ocean. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in New York. She covers research and new developments related to space, early human history and more. twitter mailto