SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, has accused the Biden administration of deliberately preventing his company from rescuing two NASA astronauts who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over eight months.
Musk, in a post on X on Wednesday, claimed that SpaceX could have brought them back six months ago, but former President Joe Biden refused to approve the mission.
He added that President Donald Trump has approved the mission to return the stranded astronauts home, which will be done soon.
He wrote, “The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days and now have been there for 8 months.
“SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden White House (not NASA) refused to allow it.
“President Trump asked to bring them back as soon as possible and we are doing so.
According to CNBC TV18, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams originally traveled to the ISS on June 6, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was meant to be an eight-day mission.
However, NASA later deemed Starliner unsafe for a return journey, leaving them unable to leave the station. They are now scheduled to return on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, occupying seats left vacant by departing Crew-9 astronauts.
Musk has previously highlighted the health risks of prolonged spaceflight, warning of microgravity’s effects on the human body.
“You get increased bone loss,” he said last year on The Joe Rogan Experience. “There isn’t anyone else to do it. NASA can’t get them. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is the only one that is considered safe enough to bring them back.”
He also noted NASA’s decision to ground Starliner indefinitely, saying, “NASA concluded that the Boeing spacecraft was not safe. So that’s why they’re stuck there.”
Despite Musk’s allegations, Wilmore dismissed the notion that political interference played a role in NASA’s handling of their return.
“From my standpoint, politics is not playing into this at all,” he said during a pre-departure press conference from the ISS. “We came up prepared to stay long, even though we planned to stay short. That’s what we do in human spaceflight. That’s what your nation’s human spaceflight program is all about—planning for unknown, unexpected contingencies. And we did that. And that’s why we flew.”
However, when asked about Musk’s claim that SpaceX had been blocked from bringing them home earlier, Wilmore offered a measured response.
“I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says is absolutely factual,” he said. “We have no information on that, though, whatsoever—what was offered, what was not offered, who it was offered to, how that process went. That’s information that we simply don’t have. So I believe him.”
Wilmore and Williams are expected to return to Earth after the arrival of Crew-10, which is scheduled to launch on March 12.
Reflecting on their extended stay, Wilmore described the experience as remarkable.
“It’s been fascinating. It’s been amazing. We feel so fortunate,” he said. “I mean, to train on four different spacecraft, and each one has its own unique capabilities, its own unique systems, its own unique seats, everything, suits. It’s all been great, and to have that opportunity has been wonderful.”
Williams, meanwhile, expressed excitement about finally returning home.
“Coming home in the spacecraft will be a new chapter, and (we’re) excited about it,” she said.
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then