A SpaceX capsule carrying a four-member crew home from orbit in an emergency return to earth necessitated by an undisclosed serious medical condition afflicting one of the astronauts splashed down safely early on Thursday (15 January) in the Pacific Ocean off California.

The Crew Dragon capsule parachuted into calm seas off San Diego at about 12:45 a.m. EST (0845 GMT), capping a 10-hour-plus descent from the International Space Station and fiery re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, carried live by a joint NASA-SpaceX webcast.

A SpaceX capsule departed the International Space Station on Wednesday (14 January) carrying a four-member crew on an emergency return flight to Earth necessitated by an unspecified serious medical condition afflicting one of the astronauts aboard.

The capsule was carring two U.S. NASA astronauts, a Japanese crewmate and a Russian cosmonaut. It undocked from the space station and began its descent from orbit at about 5:20 p.m. EST (2220 GMT).

Live video from a NASA webcast of the departure showed the capsule separating from the ISS and drifting away from the orbiting laboratory as the two vehicles soared some 260 miles (418 km) over the Earth south of Australia.

The plan to bring all four members of Crew-11 home a few weeks ahead of schedule was announced 8 January, with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman saying one of the astronauts faced a "serious medical condition" that required immediate medical attention on the ground.

NASA officials have not identified which of the four crew members was experiencing a medical issue or described its nature, citing privacy concerns.

• NASA conducts first-ever emergency return from ISS

The crew consists of U.S. 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.

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