An astronaut in need of medical care is on the way back to Earth. The ailing astronaut departed the International Space Station with three crewmates on Wednesday. Their SpaceX capsule is due to splash down into the Pacific off the coast of San Diego early Thursday. They should have remained on the space station until late February, but NASA cut their mission short to seek treatment by doctors. It's the first medical evacuation by NASA in 65 years of human spaceflight. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who needed medical attention last week and are not divulging details about their health. The astronauts launched from Florida last August.

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People wade through an rv park flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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Cars drive on highway 101 flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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People wade through an rv park flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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A car flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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Streets are flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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Cars drive on highway 101 flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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People paddle through a street flooded by the "King Tides", occurring when the sun, moon and Earth align, causing a stronger gravitational pull Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, near Corte Madera in Marin County, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)