NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024.
Their stay, originally planned for just one week, stretched far beyond schedule due to technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner capsule.
The spacecraft, plagued by helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, was deemed unsafe for their return and had to descend back to Earth without a crew.
With no immediate way home, the astronauts remained on the ISS, continuing their work while NASA worked on a backup plan.
The agency had already arranged for SpaceX to retrieve them, with a return mission scheduled for early 2025.
Former President Donald Trump has now called on Elon Musk to accelerate that timeline. Musk responded quickly, stating that SpaceX will work to bring the astronauts back as soon as possible. He also criticized the previous administration for allowing the situation to drag on for so long.
Trump posts on TruthSocial
Asks Elon to go pick up the US astronauts abandoned at the space station by the Biden Harris administration and Boeing
Winning feels good pic.twitter.com/1w3EQH30fb
— Joshua Konkle (@7SwanSwimming) January 29, 2025
NASA has reassured the public that Wilmore and Williams are not “stranded” but are conducting valuable research aboard the station. The agency remains confident that SpaceX will safely return them in the coming months.
Private companies like SpaceX play a bigger role in space missions now. All eyes are on Musk and his team to complete the mission successfully.
No wonder Elon and Trump are the most searched people on Google as they really know how to fill the headlines every day.
