Billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday revealed that US President Donald Trump had requested his assistance in facilitating the return of two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024.
Musk expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in their return, which he attributed to the current administration. Despite NASA’s collaboration with SpaceX months earlier for their return, the astronauts remained stranded.
"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 wrote in a post on X, emphasizing how "terrible" it was that the astronauts were left in space for such a long period.
Trump expressed optimism about the mission, stating, "Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!" His message, posted on Truth Social, did not specify the exact timing of the mission.
While Musk voiced concerns over the delay, NASA has maintained that the astronauts were never in danger, confirming that they were healthy and in good spirits.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had launched to the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, initially expected to stay for only 10 days.
However, after a problematic journey and arrival, NASA and Boeing took several weeks to address issues with the spacecraft. Ultimately, it was deemed too risky to return the astronauts aboard the Starliner.
In August 2024, NASA officially requested SpaceX to return the astronauts as part of the Crew-9 mission.
SpaceX, led by Musk, has been running regular ISS crew rotations every six months, and the astronauts were assigned to Crew-9.
To accommodate their return, NASA adjusted the Crew-9 mission, removing two of the four astronauts initially scheduled to fly aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule in September.
As a result, only an astronaut and cosmonaut were launched on that mission, with Williams and Wilmore slated for their return at the end of the expedition in February 2025.
However, in December, another delay was announced as SpaceX needed more time to prepare the new Dragon spacecraft for the upcoming Crew-10 mission. This meant the Crew-9 mission, including Williams and Wilmore, would not return until late March, after Crew-10 had reached the ISS.
Musk’s recent post, however, hinted that the Crew Dragon capsule, named 'Freedom,' might make an early departure from the ISS, potentially bringing the two astronauts back sooner than initially planned.