**NASA Astronaut Hospitalized Following SpaceX Splashdown**

Early Friday morning, a NASA astronaut encountered a "medical issue" and was hospitalized shortly after returning from the International Space Station. Details about the astronaut's condition have not been disclosed by NASA, which cited privacy concerns but confirmed the astronaut is in stable condition.

This incident occurred as part of the Crew-8 mission, which successfully concluded when four astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Florida, at 3:29 a.m. Eastern time. The team, comprising NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, along with Alexander Grebenkin from the Russian space agency Roscosmos, had spent nearly eight eventful months in space.

Despite experiencing weather-related delays, the undocking and splashdown operations went smoothly, without any technical issues. Video footage from the deck of the recovery ship showed the astronauts emerging from their capsule without visible problems. Initial health checks conducted immediately after their retrieval indicated that the crew members were in good condition. A NASA official further affirmed during a news conference that the crew was "doing great."

By Friday afternoon, NASA provided an update that three of the astronauts had returned to Houston after a precautionary visit to a Pensacola hospital. They are part of a mission that had been extended by two months due to complications related to Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which had occupied one of the two docking ports available on the International Space Station.

The return of the Crew-8 astronauts was delayed, as their SpaceX Dragon vehicle occupied the second docking port, preventing the Crew-9 mission from arriving until the Starliner vacated its spot. Once the empty Starliner successfully returned to Earth on September 6, the Crew-9 mission launched three weeks later, enabling the Crew-8 team to finally head home.

Further delays were experienced due to challenging weather conditions, including the passage of Hurricane Milton over Florida. Once the weather cleared, the Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four astronauts was able to undock on Wednesday, leading to their eventual return to Earth.