President Trump said Tuesday that he “asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space.”
“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 said in a Truth Social post. “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!!!”
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, part of a Boeing mission in early June, have been on the International Space Station (ISS) for a little over half a year. An initial launch was delayed multiple times because of thruster failures and helium leaks.
The trip of the two astronauts was originally meant to be around eight to ten days; however, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they took off in caused NASA to be concerned and leave them at the ISS.
A return mission for Williams and Wilmore that would use a SpaceX craft was originally planned for February, but it was moved to at least late March.
“NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than late March 2025 to launch four crew members to the International Space Station,” NASA said in a mid-December release.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has been especially close with Trump in the past year, heavily backing him in his 2024 presidential bid and appearing on stage at multiple rallies for the president.
“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,” Musk said on the social platform X on Tuesday evening.
The Hill has reached out to SpaceX and former President Biden for comment.
