(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump says he’s told Elon Musk to retrieve two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station for months longer than expected.
It’s unclear precisely what the plan is, since SpaceX was already slated to bring them home in March. Neither Trump nor Musk have clarified if the timing or mission have changed.
“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 posted on Truth Social on Tuesday night. “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 Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore rode a Boeing Starliner to the station in June 2024 for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. But NASA had concerns about the Starliner after years of delays, plus leaks and thruster problems during its trip to the station, so it came back to Earth without them in September.
SpaceX was planning to retrieve the pair in February aboard its Crew-9 capsule, but that was pushed back a month when NASA announced that crew’s replacement would not make it to the station until March.
“This is my happy place. I love being up here in space,” Williams said when the vehicle left without them.
“This is not easy. NASA does a great job, the people at NASA do a great job making things look easy,” Wilmore said. “It’s a very risky business, and things don’t always turn out the way you want.”
