A NASA astronaut was taken to a hospital in Florida after returning from the space station following an extended stay due to issues with the Boeing capsule and Hurricane Milton. The SpaceX capsule, with three Americans and one Russian on board, landed in the Gulf of Mexico after undocking from the International Space Station.
The capsule was recovered and the astronauts underwent routine medical examinations, but shortly after landing, one of the astronauts had an undisclosed medical issue, which led to his airlift to a Pensacola hospital for further evaluation as a precaution, NASA detailed. The astronaut was reported to be in stable condition.
The other three crew members were released and returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. After months in space, astronauts may need days or weeks to readjust to gravity.
The crew's return was delayed several times due to issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule and adverse weather conditions caused by Hurricane Milton. The astronauts, including NASA's Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, had been taken to the station in March by SpaceX.
The mission, initially scheduled for eight days, was extended to eight months and will continue with Starliner test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, as well as other astronauts who flew with SpaceX a month ago. The International Space Station crew returns to its usual size of seven people with this change.
