If you’re looking for a giant rocket launch that rattled the windows in Florida this morning, you might be a few weeks early. Honestly, the biggest news in space today isn’t about who just went up, but rather the empty seats left behind. On January 17, 2026, the "who went up in space today" question is actually a story of a quieted International Space Station (ISS).
Two days ago, the sky over the Pacific saw a streak of light that wasn't supposed to happen yet. SpaceX Crew-11—carrying NASA’s Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, JAXA’s Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos’s Oleg Platonov—splashed down near San Diego. It was an emergency medical evacuation. The first of its kind in over sixty years of human spaceflight. NASA is keeping the specific "medical condition" under wraps for privacy, but the impact is massive: the ISS is currently a bit of a ghost town.
Who is actually in space today?
Right now, if you look up, there are only six humans orbiting the Earth. Usually, we’ve got seven or more on the ISS alone, plus the crew on China's Tiangong station. But today, the roster is lean.
On the International Space Station, we have a skeleton crew of three:
- Chris Williams (NASA): He’s the lone American left up there. Talk about a quiet office. He had to be crash-coursed by the departing Crew-11 on how to run the entire US segment solo.
- Sergey Kud-Sverchkov (Roscosmos): An experienced Russian cosmonaut who arrived back in November.
- Sergei Mikaev (Roscosmos): Also part of the Soyuz MS-28 team.
Then, about 250 miles away from them, the Tiangong Space Station is buzzing with its own trio. The Shenzhou-21 crew consists of:
- Zhang Lu
- Wu Fei
- Zhang Hongzhang
These three have been busy. Just a few days ago, on January 12, they were running fire drills and medical rescue simulations. It’s almost eerie that they were practicing medical emergencies at the exact same time NASA was actually executing a real-life medical evacuation.
The Artemis II hype is starting today
While no one "went up" to orbit today, something massive did move. This morning at sunrise, the Artemis II SLS rocket began its "crawl" to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center.
It moves at 1 mph. It’s a 322-foot-tall monster of a machine.
This is the rocket that will carry Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen around the moon next month. Seeing it on the pad today makes the reality of humans leaving Low Earth Orbit for the first time since 1972 feel very, very real. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (who you might remember from the Polaris Dawn mission) was out there today with the crew, answering questions about the February 6 launch target.
Why the ISS is so empty right now
Usually, the ISS is a revolving door. But the Crew-11 medical evacuation threw the schedule into a blender. NASA's official line is that the "crew member of concern is doing fine," but the decision to bring four people home early is never made lightly. It costs millions. It disrupts months of science.
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Because of this, Chris Williams is basically "home alone."
He’s been told to stand down on any spacewalks. You need two people to go out the hatch, and with only one NASA astronaut onboard, those repairs are on hold. It’s a vivid reminder that space is still incredibly hostile. We like to think of it as a laboratory, but it's really a pressurized tin can in a vacuum where a burst appendix or a heart fluke becomes a life-or-death logistics nightmare.
The Tiangong Factor
While the ISS deals with medical drama, China’s space program is running like clockwork. The Shenzhou-21 crew is deep into brain-computer interface experiments. They’re using VR headsets to see how eye-brain coordination changes when you’ve been weightless for months.
It’s a weird contrast. On one side, you have the aging ISS dealing with its first-ever medical pull-out. On the other, the Tiangong station is hitting its stride, testing lithium-ion battery tech that might power future Moon bases.
What to watch for next
If you were hoping to see a launch today, don't worry—the manifest for the rest of January is packed.
- Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Now that the SLS is on the pad (as of today!), they’ll be loading it with fuel soon to make sure nothing leaks.
- SpaceX Starlink Missions: Expect at least two more Falcon 9 launches before the month ends. They’re launching about every 2.5 days lately.
- The Next Crew Rotation: NASA is likely scrambling to move up the Crew-12 launch to get Chris Williams some company.
Actionable Insights for Space Fans
If you want to keep track of who is up there without relying on old news, here’s how to do it:
- Check "Who Is In Space" apps: They pull live telemetry from NASA and Roscosmos.
- Watch the SLS livestream: Since the rocket moved to the pad today, NASA usually keeps a 24/7 "Pad Cam" running. It’s surprisingly relaxing.
- Track the ISS: It’ll be visible over many parts of the US this week. Because there are only three people on board, the power consumption is lower, and the station is "quiet" in more ways than one.
Space is getting busier, but today is a day for preparation and recovery. We're in the quiet moment before the Artemis moon missions change everything.