NASA on Tuesday identified astronaut Mike Fincke as the crew member who experienced a medical issue aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in January, prompting the early return of the crew.

In a statement released by NASA "at the request of Fincke," the veteran astronaut said he experienced a medical condition on January 7 that "required immediate attention" from his space station crew members.

"Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized," said the statement.

After further evaluation, NASA determined that the safest course of action was an early return for Crew-11 – not an emergency evacuation, but a carefully coordinated plan to allow access to advanced medical imaging unavailable at the space station, according to the statement.

NASA subsequently decided to conclude the mission ahead of schedule.

In addition to Fincke, the four-member crew includes NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

The crew arrived at the ISS on August 2 last year and had originally been scheduled to remain aboard the station for about six months.