Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in Nasa’s first medical evacuation

Four crew members were returned to Earth (Nasa via AP)

An ailing astronaut has returned to Earth along with three others, ending their space station mission more than a month early following Nasa’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX guided its Dragon capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.