NASA postpones first ISS spacewalk of 2026, citing medical concern: What we know

NASA to bring Crew-11 home early after medical issue

NASA announced Thursday that its Crew-11 mission aboard the International Space Station will return to Earth nearly a month ahead of schedule after a medical issue involving one of the astronauts.

NASA's first spacewalk outside the International Space Station of the year has been postponed due to the medical concerns of a crew member. 

This spacewalk was planned to have two NASA astronauts conducting installations and repairs to the ISS. 

What we know:

In a Jan. 7 statement, NASA said Thursday's spacewalk was postponed as the agency is monitoring the medical concerns of a crew member. The medical concern occurred while the crew member was aboard the orbital complex, NASA said. The agency reported that the crew member's condition is stable. 

Spacewalk 94 was set to start on Thursday at 8 a.m. It's not known which crew member had a medical emergency and what the medical concerns were. 

Spacewalk canceled, Crew 11 could come home early

NASA has postponed its first ISS spacewalk of the year, citing medical concerns for one of its crew members. NASA astronauts planned two spacewalks in January to conduct repairs and upgrades to the International Space Station. Ken Kremer, managing editor of Space UpClose, spoke with FOX 35's Garrett Wymer about the latest. 

"Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11’s mission," NASA said in an updated statement. "These are the situations NASA and our partners train for and prepare to execute safely. We will provide further updates within the next 24 hours." 

Who was going on the spacewalk? 

NASA astronauts with Expedition 74, Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, were set to conduct spacewalk 94. 

Expedition 74 is a seven-person crew that began in December 2025 and will end in the summer of 2026. 

Fincke, the expedition commander, and Cardman, a flight engineer, will work to install a solar array to provide more power to the orbital laboratory, including critical support of its safe and controlled de-orbit, NASA said. 

NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 Commander Mike Fincke works inside the Tranquility module replacing orbital plumbing components on the waste and hygiene compartment, the International Space Station’s restroom. (Source: NASA)

This will be Cardman's first space walk and Fincke's 10th – tying him as the NASA astronaut with the most spacewalks.

Fincke will be wearing a red suit with stripes and Cardman will be wearing an unmarked suit. 

At this time, a new date for spacewalk 94 has not been released. NASA has also not announced which astronauts will conduct spacewalk 95. 

What we know about the mission: NASA press conference

NASA discusses first two ISS spacewalks of 2026

NASA astronauts will conduct two spacewalks in January to conduct as series of tests and installations to the outside of the International Space Station. 

What is the International Space Station? 

The International Space Station, ISS, is a low orbit home and research facility for astronauts. The ISS, which was launched 25 years ago, brings together international flight crews, multiple launch vehicles, scientific research and more, NASA said. 

In its 25 years, astronauts have conducted over 250 space walks, including five spacewalks in 2025. Here's a list of NASA's previous International Space Station spacewalks.