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On Tuesday evening, former President Donald Trump announced he had requested SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to facilitate the return of two NASA astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station, despite their already scheduled March departure on a SpaceX vessel.
The announcement came after Musk confirmed Trump’s request to bring the astronauts back “as soon as possible,” indicating a potential shift from NASA’s existing timeline.
“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!”
🚨Trump asks Elon to ‘go get’ NASA astronauts stuck in space after being abandoned by Biden/Harris Admin.#Leadership 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MD5eL7k66n
— Mad Starr (@PatriotInSF) January 29, 2025
This unprecedented presidential intervention into NASA’s operational matters regarding astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams caught agency officials off guard, according to two sources within the organization.
The astronauts originally traveled to the ISS via Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft last summer for what was intended to be an eight-day test mission. However, complications with the craft’s propulsion system extended their stay to nearly a year.
During the Biden administration, NASA determined in August that Starliner posed too significant a risk for the astronauts’ return journey. Subsequently, the agency enlisted SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which had arrived at the station in September during NASA’s Crew-9 rotation mission, complete with vacant seats for Wilmore and Williams.
Appears @JoeBiden forgot about these people on the way out the door.
Trump, Musk join forces to bring stranded NASA astronauts back via SpaceX after Biden admin ‘abandoned’ them. pic.twitter.com/uo3iImNmCa
— Blanche Victoria (@tammytabby) January 29, 2025
The initial February departure was pushed to late March due to SpaceX requiring additional time to prepare a new Crew Dragon capsule for the upcoming Crew-10 mission. This schedule adjustment was part of NASA’s carefully orchestrated ISS operations plan.
The implications of an early return remain uncertain. Such a move could either necessitate bringing Crew-9 back before Crew-10’s arrival or accelerating Crew-10’s launch schedule. An early Crew-9 return would leave NASA astronaut Don Pettit as the sole American aboard the station, potentially complicating the maintenance of U.S. components.
Currently, Wilmore and Williams are among seven astronauts stationed on the ISS, where they continue their regular scientific research duties in good health. While Boeing’s Starliner project has faced numerous engineering challenges and budget overruns since 2019, some Trump advisers have recently attempted to shift responsibility to the Biden administration, despite Trump’s non-involvement in Starliner’s development.
