This image made from a NASA live stream shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a press conference from the International Space Station on Sept. 13, 2024. On Tuesday, President Trump said he asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to “go get” the astronauts who have been on the I.S.S. since June after their original weeklong test flight on Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule has been extended.
AP/NASA
hide caption
toggle caption
AP/NASA
SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced plans to bring home two NASA astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner capsule “as soon as possible,” at the request of President Trump.
Musk, the head of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, has played a crucial role in Trump’s re-election campaign and the early days of the President’s second term in office.
“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. “Good luck Elon!!!”
The astronauts Musk and Trump are presumably referencing are NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. NASA has long said the crew isn’t “stranded” and a plan to return them safely to Earth has been in place for months. In fact, NASA astronauts always train for lengthy missions and medical experts have kept a watchful eye on the health of the two during their extended stay.
The astronauts arrived at the International Space Station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft after launching from Florida’s Cape Canaveral in June 2024. The test flight was supposed to last only eight days. But engineers at NASA and Boeing uncovered issues with the spacecraft’s propulsion system, and decided to return the vehicle back to Earth without a crew. The two have remained at the station ever since.
This image provided by NASA shows the Boeing Starliner capsule, which carried astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station, docked on July 3, 2024, as seen from a window of SpaceX’s Dragon Crew Dragon. The Starliner capsule returned to Earth empty in September after a series of technical problems.
AP/NASA
hide caption
toggle caption
AP/NASA
Wilmore and Williams are slated to fly home on SpaceX’s Crew-9 capsule, which is currently docked to the ISS. It was sent up with only two crewmembers — a move to make room for Wilmore and Williams to return in the capsule with them next month.
But NASA recently announced a delay in Crew-10, which would bring Crew-9’s replacement to the station, to late March. NASA flies a new crew to the ISS before returning the previous one, maintaining adequate staffing at the station.
NASA could return Wilmore and Williams at any time, as their capsule is safe to come home now — but doing so would leave the station understaffed and jeopardize the science and maintenance being performed aboard the station. NASA did not immediately return an email requesting clarification on the proposed return mission.
SpaceX has already been awarded contracts for upcoming astronaut missions on the schedule. It’s unclear if NASA would have to pay Musk’s company for an additional flight to return the crew early.
