Four astronauts successfully returned to Earth early Thursday morning, concluding an eventful and extraordinary week in space. The crew made an early departure from the International Space Station as a result of medical issues that emerged during their mission.

NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Finke, Japanese astronaut Kamiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov made a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at 3:41 a.m. ET after an 11-hour journey.

“On behalf of SpaceX and NASA, welcome home, Crew-11,” mission controllers communicated to the astronauts shortly after the Dragon capsule’s touchdown.

This return marks a historic moment, being the first instance in the ISS’s 25-year history where a mission was terminated early due to medical complications.

Out of respect for medical privacy, NASA has not disclosed the identities of the crew members involved or specific details surrounding the medical incident. The situation remains stable and is not deemed an emergency.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated in a recent press conference that the early return decision was made with an emphasis on precaution.

The medical issue led to the cancellation of a planned spacewalk scheduled for January 8, during which Cardman and Finke were set to perform modifications outside the ISS.

Prior to leaving the space station, Finke reassured that he and his colleagues were “stable, safe, and well cared for.”

“This decision was made to facilitate proper medical evaluation in a controlled environment with complete diagnostic capabilities,” Finke mentioned in a statement on LinkedIn. “While it’s bittersweet, it’s the right call.”

The astronauts returned in the same SpaceX Dragon capsule that had transported them to the ISS.

The return mission proceeded without incident, with air traffic controllers reporting favorable weather conditions at the landing site off the California coast. The capsule’s drogue and main parachutes deployed successfully just before landing, ensuring a safe splashdown.

SpaceX recovery teams promptly arrived to assess the capsule and ensure it was safe to open the hatch. Dolphins were also spotted joyfully swimming in the vicinity.

The Crew-11 astronauts spent 165 days aboard the space station. For Cardman and Platonov, this represents their first spaceflight, while Yui has now completed her second journey. Finke has successfully finished four missions in total.

The astronauts were scheduled to stay on the ISS until late February but returned early, leaving only three crew members onboard: NASA’s Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev.

The next crew rotation for the space station is expected to launch by February 15, but NASA is exploring options for an expedited flight. Nonetheless, Williams is likely to be the only NASA astronaut responsible for U.S. scientific experiments and operations at the station for several weeks to come.