"NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov have disembarked safely after SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour splashed down in the Pacific at 03:41 EST (08:41 GMT) on Thursday, in an unprecedented end to a historic mission. Footage shows the capsule being lifted onto the rescue deck after hitting dark ocean waters off San Diego. Dolphins welcomed the capsule before it was secured on the egress platform. A team doctor was the first to enter the capsule to check on the astronauts, after which the four crew members were helped out. The return marked the first early crew landing in the 25-year history of the International Space Station, triggered by a 'serious medical concern'. Dragon undocked from the orbital laboratory around 10.5 hours earlier, beginning an accelerated journey back to Earth. Crew-11 launched to the ISS from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre on August 1, docking with the station the following day. The astronauts became the final crew to arrive during Expedition 73 and later welcomed the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, which delivered the first new crew of Expedition 74. The crew had originally been scheduled to remain aboard the ISS until late February to enable a direct handover with the incoming SpaceX Crew-12 mission. However, NASA announced that the return timeline was moved forward after one crew member experienced what the agency described as a 'serious medical concern'. NASA officials said the decision was made to allow the astronaut to receive prompt medical evaluation and treatment on Earth, adding that safety considerations guided the change in mission duration."