BBC Breakfast has sparked a wave of viewer anger after a significant broadcasting error caused the programme to miss a pivotal moment in space history.
A Historic Moment Overshadowed by the Forecast
Presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were on air on Thursday morning, covering the major news that NASA was executing its first-ever medical evacuation of astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS). A four-person crew was rushing back to Earth, cutting their mission short due to an undisclosed in-orbit health emergency.
The Crew-11 capsule, carrying the astronauts, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California, at approximately 3:41am ET (8:41am UK time). This concluded a roughly 10-hour return flight following its undocking from the ISS the previous day.
However, BBC Breakfast viewers did not witness this landmark event live. Moments before the scheduled splashdown, Munchetty informed the audience that meteorologist Matt Taylor was about to present the weather, adding: "Matt, I should point out that we are waiting for pictures of that shuttle coming back to Earth, we'll be bringing those shortly."
Viewer Backlash Erupts on Social Media
As Taylor delivered his forecast, the capsule was landing in the ocean. Immediately after the weather segment, Stayt announced: "Matt, thank you very much. We should tell you and everyone that we have had splash down! Literally in the last minute or so."
This delay infuriated audiences, who took to X, formerly Twitter, to vent their frustration. One user criticised: "If you knew the exact time why did you miss the coverage #bbcbreakfast." Another complained: "#bbcbreakfast was trailing the shuttle splashdown since 6am, then they miss it because of the weather forecast. Hopeless space coverage." A further comment read: "Bloody hellfire... I wanted to see the splashdown should of shown it instead of the weather."
Details of the Unprecedented Space Mission
Munchetty later provided context, explaining the crew had arrived at the ISS in August 2023 for a standard six-and-a-half-month mission. The emergency unfolded last week when a planned spacewalk was abruptly cancelled. NASA subsequently revealed a crew member had fallen ill, prompting the decision to return.
The astronauts on board were:
- NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke
- Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui
- Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov
The spacecraft fired its engines to deorbit at 2:50am ET before enduring a fiery atmospheric re-entry. It deployed four parachutes to slow its descent moments before hitting the water. A recovery vessel with medical staff retrieved the capsule, conducted immediate health checks, and transported the crew to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for further evaluation.
NASA has maintained medical privacy, declining to identify the ill astronaut or specify their condition. Administrator Jared Isaacman stated the decision to return early was made "out of an abundance of caution" for a "serious" medical episode requiring Earth-based care. In a briefing an hour after splashdown, Isaacman confirmed the crew member was "doing fine."
The incident marks a rare and dramatic moment in spaceflight history, one that BBC Breakfast audiences felt they were wrongly denied witnessing live.
