Trump and Musk agree to have SpaceX rescue two U.S. astronauts 'abandoned in space' by the Biden administration

Various NASA spokespersons have refuted the claim that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been abandoned while awaiting their return to Earth.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (r) and Suni Williams (l)*AFP / Miguel J. Rodríguez Carrilo*

Published by

Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón

January 29, 2025

3 minutes read

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President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk announced on social media that they reached an agreement for space transportation company SpaceX to rescue two U.S. astronauts who, according to Trump and Musk, are "stranded" in space and "abandoned" by the Biden administration.

"The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so," Musk said. "Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long."

The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so.

Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2025

Later, in a post on the social network Truth, President Trump confirmed the request.

"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. 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 said.

The astronauts who have been on the ISS for months are Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who flew to the station last year on Boeing's Starliner as part of NASA and SpaceX's Crew-9 mission.

While both astronauts were scheduled to spend a week in orbit, the mission became unusual due to a bumpy ride to the ISS. They could not return home on the Boeing spacecraft that carried them to the station.

This undated handout picture from Nasa released on July2, 2024 shows NASAs Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts (from top) Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Stations Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. - The first astronauts to fly Boeing's troubled Starliner are definitely not "stranded" at the International Space Station, NASA insisted on June 28, 2024 despite having no clear timeframe for bringing them home. In an unusually defensive press call, officials attempted to put a positive spin on where things currently stood after weeks of negative headlines due to the spaceship's delayed return. (Photo by Handout / NASA / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / NASA" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

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It was the first manned mission of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launched from Florida in June 2024.

After Starliner had reached the space station, despite difficulties, NASA and Boeing worked together for several weeks to better understand technical problems, including helium leaks and propulsion issues.

However, after days passed, the agency finally decided it was too high a risk and unnecessary to return Starliner with a crew, leaving Williams and Wilmore in space.

In August, NASA asked SpaceX to bring Williams and Wilmore back aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule. This vehicle is currently docked at the ISS, where the two astronauts have become official members as they await their long-awaited return home.

CNN reported in December that the plan to return Williams and Wilmore, scheduled for February, was delayed because mission crews said they needed more time to prepare a new SpaceX vehicle for the Crew-10 mission.

Now, the return trip may not happen until after March.

In theory, the return trip for both astronauts should be relatively routine. They were scheduled to fly home with other astronauts as part of a crew rotation.

What is NASA saying about the astronauts' situation?

For months, different agency spokesmen have disputed that Williams and Wilmore were "stranded," stressing that the agency decided to leave them in space for safety reasons and that, in the event of an emergency, they would always have a way to travel back aboard Boeing's Starliner.

"In my view, they’re never stuck or stranded," Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager, said last year. "They always had a way to depart the space station. And to me, when somebody is stranded, there’s a location where they cannot leave."

The decision to leave both astronauts was the responsibility of the space agency, as Boeing claimed it was safe for Williams and Wilmore to return.

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