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Four new astronauts arrive at International Space Station following NASA's first medical evacuation

It comes after NASA evacuated the ISS for the first time in 25 years amid a medical crisis with one of its crew members

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Crew 12 astronauts, from left, pilot Jack Hathaway, Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, commander Jessica Meir and ESA astronaut Sophia Adenot, of France. AP Photo/John Raoux)
Crew 12 astronauts, from left, pilot Jack Hathaway, Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, commander Jessica Meir and ESA astronaut Sophia Adenot, of France. AP Photo/John Raoux). Picture: Alamy

By Alex Storey

The International Space Station returned to full strength with the arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who left early because of health concerns.

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SpaceX delivered the US, French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.

It follows last month's medical evacuation, which was NASA' first in 65 years of human spaceflight.

One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their prompt return.

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A crew of four aboard the Dragon space craft lifts off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
A crew of four aboard the Dragon space craft lifts off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Picture: Alamy

The departures left only three crew members there - one American and two Russians - leading NASA to pause spacewalks and trim research.

Moving in for eight to nine months are NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France's Sophie Adenot and Russia's Andrei Fedyaev.

Ms Meir, a marine biologist, and Mr Fedyaev, a former military pilot, have lived there before. During her first station visit in 2019, Ms Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Ms Adenot, a military helicopter pilot, is only the second French woman to fly in space. Mr Hathaway is a captain in the US Navy.

The new NASA astronauts.
The new NASA astronauts. Picture: Alamy

NASA has refused to divulge the identity of the astronaut who fell ill in orbit on January 7 or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.

The ailing astronaut and three others returned to Earth more than a month sooner than planned. They spent their first night back on Earth at the hospital before returning to Houston.

The space agency said it did not alter its pre-flight medical checks for their replacements.