A crew of four NASA astronauts were recently hospitalized without explanation after returning to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
After spending more than 200 days on the International Space Station (ISS), the Crew-8 astronauts landed off the coast of Florida in the early morning hours of October 25.
NASA revealed that one astronaut received medical care after return, but on Monday it emerged that all members had been taken to hospital.
One crew member was held overnight but was said to be “under observation in a stable condition as a precaution.”
NASA has not released details about why the crew was hospitalized, which astronaut had to complete an overnight stay and whether the medical issues were related to their return to Earth.
After the mysterious incident, a NASA safety panel told SpaceX to focus on crew safety as they prepare for future crewed missions to the ISS.
At an Oct. 31 Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel meeting, former astronaut and committee member Kent Rominger listed a series of “recent issues” with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.
He said the accidents serve as a reminder to remain vigilant as the company increases the pace of its missions.
“Both NASA and SpaceX must continue to focus on safe Crew Dragon operations and not take ‘normal’ operations for granted,” he said.
All four Crew-8 astronauts were hospitalized after returning to Earth, but NASA has not released any details about the reason, or reasons, why
The Crew-8 mission launched toward the ISS on March 3 and was initially expected to return to Earth in August.
But a series of delays pushed the return flight to early October, extending a 180-day stay on the ISS to a 235-day stay.
A typical long-term stay on the ISS lasts six months, or about 182 days.
Life on the ISS takes its toll on astronauts’ health, and the longer they stay, the more serious these health problems can become.
After long-term space missions, astronauts are known to suffer from bone and muscle loss, vision problems, kidney stones, cardiovascular problems and other health problems.
NASA has not released any information about why the Crew-8 astronauts were hospitalized, so it is not clear whether their extended stay on the ISS was the cause.
It’s also possible (but not confirmed) that something went wrong during Crew Dragon’s return to Earth.
The incidents Rominger referred to included observations of the Crew Dragon parachutes during the Crew-8 landing, such as “lagging” behavior that caused one of the four main parachutes to open more slowly than the others. Space News reported.
He also mentioned several problems with SpaceX’s Falcon 9, including the launch failure in July that left the rocket grounded for about two weeks.
In August, Falcon 9 launches were briefly halted after one of the rocket’s boosters was lost during a drone ship landing.
The Crew-8 astronauts landed on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor on October 25, after a 235-day mission
And in September, another accident occurred with the Falcon 9 upper stage engine during an engine failure after the launch of the Crew-9 mission.
As a result, the second state landed outside the target zone and the missile remained on the ground for another two weeks, except for one mission.
Also on Sunday, SpaceX canceled a Starlink satellite launch scheduled for this weekend due to a helium leak.
“Looking at these recent incidents over the past few weeks, it’s clear that operating safely requires a lot of attention to detail as hardware ages and the pace of operations increases,” Rominger said.
He added that both NASA and SpaceX must “be careful not to allow the rapid pace of operations to cloud their judgment” to ensure missions are executed with the appropriate level of attention, time and resources.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been a trusted NASA partner for years, and the company has been particularly busy this year.
The leader in commercial spaceflight has already launched more than 100 rockets by 2024, including several crewed missions. Musk has set an ambitious goal to reach a total of 148 before the year is out.
This would be better than the 98 launches that SpaceX achieved in 2023.
But the company’s focus on maintaining a fast mission schedule, and thus its leading position in the commercial space industry, could come at the expense of the health and safety of astronauts.