19 hours ago

SpaceX Crew-8 astronaut hospitalized in Pensacola after Dragon splashdown, in 'stable condition'

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Four astronauts in spacesuits sitting in a spacecraft.

The astronauts of Crew-8 were taken to a Florida hospital as a precaution, shortly after their successful splashdown on Friday (Oct. 25), NASA said.

The SpaceX Crew-8 group of four astronauts was evaluated at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, a hospital nearby their splashdown site in the Atlantic Ocean, a NASA representative told Space.com via email. A newer update from NASA issued at 1:30 p.m. EDT (1730 GMT) said one astronaut, described as "in stable condition," will remain behind in the hospital "as a precautionary measure."

The Crew Dragon spacecraft splashdown at 3:29 a.m. EDT (0729 GMT) was described as nominal by NASA officials during the standard post-flight press conference. A few hours later, however, NASA shared an e-mail statement with reporters saying the astronauts "were taken to a local medical facility for additional evaluation ... out of an abundance of caution."

The Crew-8 astronauts include NASA's Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, along with Alexander Grebenkin of Russia's space agency Roscosmos.

"To protect the crew member’s medical privacy, specific details on the individual’s condition or identity will not be shared," NASA added. The agency noted the entry and splashdown were "normal" and the extra medical check was done as a precaution during "routine medical assessments on the recovery ship."

a charred cone-shaped spacecraft next to a small boat full of people, lit up in darkness

"We’re grateful to Ascension Sacred Heart for its support during this time, and we are proud of our team for its quick action to ensure the safety of our crew members," NASA added in the statement.

The crew launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 3, docked with the ISS on March 5 and concluded their mission after 235 days in space, which is slightly longer than the typical 180 to 210 days. That's because Crew-8 had a two-week mission extension due to difficulties with finding good weather in the Atlantic Ocean amid hurricane season.

four astronauts squeezed into various corners of a spacecraft

During a briefing roughly 90 minutes after splashdown, which was telecast online, NASA officials said the return-to-Earth events were nominal, with only minor irregularities noted with the Dragon capsule's smaller drogue chutes as well as its larger main parachutes.

"The crew is doing great,” NASA’s Richard Jones, deputy program manager of the agency's Commercial Crew Program at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, said during the briefing.

"They are going to spend a little bit of time on the recovery vessel going through their [medical] checks, and they'll soon be on their way back to Houston after all of those are done," Jones continued. "Houston" is a common nickname for JSC among space officials.