Trump tasks Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring back stranded astronaut Sunita Williams home | Technology News
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has tasked billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring back stranded NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS).
The two NASA astronauts, who went to space aboard the Starliner capsule on June 5 last year for a presumed eight-to-10-day mission, have been stuck in space for close to eight months and concerns regarding their health deterioration have sparked debate.
Trump accused the previous Joe Biden administration of virtually “abandoning” Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in space and called the NASA astronauts “brave”.
Trump, in a Truth Social post announced, “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. 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!!!”
It was Boeing’s Starliner’s debut piloted flight, which is being considered as an operational alternative to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. However, the Starliner’s propulsion system faced propellant leaks and pressurization problems.
On August 24, NASA decided to bring back the Starliner under remote control and left Williams and Wilmore aboard the station for an extended stay.
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2025
Elon Musk posted about the development on X, stating “The President has asked SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the International Space Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”
It was in September 2024 that SpaceX launched a four-seat Crew Dragon spacecraft to ISS with two crew members aboard, NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov and left two seats vacant for Williams and Wilmore.
Story continues below this ad
It is reported that the two NASA astronauts might return to Earth by February or March 2025.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
