NASA confirmed on Saturday that an astronaut, who was hospitalised for a short time post-spaceflight, has been discharged.
NASA has not disclosed the astronaut’s name, citing privacy concerns, and confirmed he is dealing with a medical issue.
NASA stated that the entire crew was flown to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola hospital purely out of precaution but did not specify if some or all crew members were affected.
The remaining three crew members have been discharged from the hospital and have returned to Houston, according to the space agency.
The agency said in a statement that, “The one astronaut who remains at Ascension is in stable condition under observation as a precautionary measure.”
NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin landed off Florida’s Gulf Coast in the SpaceX Dragon at 3:29 am local time on Friday (8:29 am UK/Ireland, 6:29 pm Australia, 8:29 pm New Zealand, and 4:29 am Eastern/1:29 am Pacific in Canada).
The agency, which is usually discreet about astronauts’ medical issues, declined to clarify what prompted the heightened caution or describe the crew’s condition.
The Russian Space Agency has not provided a response to inquiries concerning Mr Grebenkin’s health status.
The agency also stated in the statement, “During its return to Earth, the SpaceX Dragon executed a normal entry and splashdown. Recovery of the crew and the spacecraft was without incident. During routine medical assessments on the recovery ship, an additional evaluation of the crew members was requested out of an abundance of caution.”
Successfully returning the crew to Earth, the space agency stated in its announcement, “After launching on March 3 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, spent 232 days aboard the space station.”
SpaceX has a collection of reusable spacecraft and has completed 44 missions to the ISS.
Elon Musk’s company remains the sole US choice for NASA astronaut journeys to and from the space station. Boeing’s Starliner, designed as an alternative US vehicle, has been delayed by years of development problems.