Billionaire Elon Musk revealed on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump had requested SpaceX to facilitate the return of Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station. Musk expressed his dismay at the delay in bringing them back, blaming the Biden administration.
Musk took to Twitter to announce the news, stating, "The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so." He criticized the previous administration for leaving the astronauts stranded for an extended period.
While NASA has maintained that the astronauts are not stranded and are in good health, the delay in returning them has raised concerns. Williams and Wilmore were launched to the ISS in June 2024 but faced challenges during their mission, leading to the decision to extend their stay.
In August 2024, NASA enlisted SpaceX to bring the astronauts home on the Crew-9 mission. However, technical issues with the Dragon spacecraft caused further delays. Musk's recent update hinted at a possible early return for the astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon capsule named 'Freedom'.
Despite the setbacks, efforts are underway to ensure the safe return of Williams and Wilmore, highlighting the complexities of space missions and the collaboration between government agencies and private companies.
