Extract from ABC News
In short:
A SpaceX capsule carrying a four-member crew has returned to Earth in seas off San Diego.
A health issue prompted their mission, on the International Space Station, to be cut short, after spending five months in space.
NASA officials have not identified which of the four crew members was experiencing a medical issue or described its nature.
A SpaceX capsule has splashed down back to Earth carrying four astronauts from the International Space Station, after a medical issue prompted them to evacuate and cut their mission a month short.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft, dubbed Endeavour, parachuted into calm seas off San Diego.
This marks the first time NASA has cut short the mission of an ISS crew because of a health emergency.
The capsule undocked from the space station and began its descent from orbit about 9:20am AEDT (2220 GMT), with the journey taking less than 11 hours.
The crew consists of US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They arrived at the space station following a launch to orbit from Florida in August.
In a radio transmission to the SpaceX flight-control centre near Los Angeles, Endeavour's commander, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, was heard saying, "It's good to be home."
The astronauts emerged from the capsule, one by one, after it was aboard the recovery ship. They were helped onto reclining cots and then whisked away for standard medical checks, waving to the cameras.
Oleg Platonov, Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman and Kimiya Yui are seen inside the Endeavour after splashing down. (NASA via AP)
NASA officials have not identified which of the four crew members was experiencing a medical issue or described its nature, citing privacy concerns.
While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing.
NASA stressed repeatedly over the last week that this was not an emergency.
"Obviously, we took this action (early return) because it was a serious medical condition," NASA's new administrator Jared Isaacman said following splashdown.
"The astronaut in question is fine right now, in good spirits and going through the proper medical checks."
The International Space Station now has one American and two Russians on board.
NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.
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