Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk to bring home two NASA astronauts who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024. Trump claimed the astronauts, Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, had been "virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration."
The astronauts were scheduled to return on a SpaceX capsule in March. Musk confirmed on X that he would comply with Trump's request, stating that SpaceX would bring the astronauts home "as soon as possible."
Williams and Wilmore's mission was originally planned as an eight-day test flight aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule. However, due to technical issues, the capsule was deemed unsafe for their return trip. NASA arranged for them to return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule already docked at the station.
The necessity of Trump's personal involvement in the mission is unclear, as NASA had already scheduled the astronauts' return for late March or possibly April.
Trump's assertion that the astronauts were "abandoned" is disputed by NASA, which maintains that Wilmore and Williams are in good health and not stranded. As of now, the astronauts remain on the ISS, and NASA has not officially commented on whether SpaceX's Crew-9 capsule will return earlier than planned.