Former President Donald Trump recently made headlines by requesting SpaceX to bring home two NASA astronauts who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore had been “virtually abandoned” in space due to delays caused by the Biden administration.
“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been waiting for many months,” Trump wrote. “Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe.”
Elon Musk responded to the request, confirming that SpaceX would act to bring the astronauts back. He also echoed Trump’s sentiment, criticizing the Biden administration for the delay.
However, NASA clarified that the astronauts were never stranded. The space agency had already planned to use SpaceX’s Crew-9 capsule to bring them home in February. The launch was delayed due to issues with the SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which needed to arrive before Crew-9 could leave the ISS. NASA now expects to bring Williams and Wilmore home in late March.
Williams and Wilmore had launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for a test mission that was initially planned for eight days. However, issues with the spacecraft extended their stay on the ISS. Despite being away from Earth for several months, both astronauts have maintained their well-being, with Wilmore assuring that they are well-fed and have plenty of supplies.
In a recent call with students, Williams reflected on her long stay in space. She admitted she had forgotten what it feels like to walk on Earth. “I haven’t walked. I haven’t sat down. I haven’t laid down. You don’t have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are,” she said.
NASA’s plan to return the astronauts remains unaffected, despite the public comments. The Crew-9 mission is still targeting a return in late March, following the arrival of Crew-10.