Musk claims Biden administration delayed astronauts' return

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused the Biden administration of delaying the return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS) for “political reasons.”

Musk claimed that SpaceX had offered to bring the astronauts home earlier but was turned down. “We definitely offered to return the astronauts earlier. There is no question about that. The astronauts were only supposed to be there for eight days, and they have been there for almost 10 months. Obviously, that doesn’t make any sense,” he said in an interview.

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

Former US President Donald Trump also weighed in, saying he personally asked Musk to facilitate the return. “The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so,” Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter). Trump echoed the statement on TruthSocial, accusing the Biden administration of “abandoning” the astronauts in space.

Also Read: Dizziness, gravity sickness, weightless tongue, baby feet: What astronauts face back on earth

Williams and Wilmore return

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore finally returned to Earth after an extended 286-day stay aboard the ISS. Their mission, originally an eight-day test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, was prolonged due to technical failures.

What a sight! The parachutes on @SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft have deployed; #Crew9 will shortly splash down off the coast of Florida near Tallahassee. pic.twitter.com/UcQBVR7q03

— NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2025

Their return was completed in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which splashed down off the coast of Florida at 3:27 am IST. A NASA recovery team quickly opened the hatch and helped the astronauts onto mobility aids as they readjusted to Earth’s gravity.

Also Read: What NASA astronauts Sunita, Butch ate for nine months in space on ISS

What went wrong?

Williams and Wilmore launched on 5 June 2024 aboard NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. However, helium leaks and thruster issues on the Starliner forced the spacecraft to return to Earth without them. With no immediate alternative, NASA reassigned them to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, delaying their return by months.

First meal back on Earth

Congratulations to the @SpaceX and @NASA teams for another safe astronaut return!

Thank you to @POTUS for prioritizing this mission! https://t.co/KknFDbh59s

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 18, 2025

NASA confirmed that their first meal will be fresh food, as they were limited to dehydrated meals in space. Their diet will initially include light, easy-to-digest foods such as fruit, soup, and protein shakes before transitioning to regular meals.

Also Watch: Sunita Williams returns: Science behind astronaut recovery, what India can learn

Experienced campaigner

With this mission, Sunita Williams has now spent a total of 608 days in space, making her the second most experienced US astronaut in terms of time spent off Earth. Williams and Wilmore conducted over 150 experiments crucial for future space exploration during their extended stay.

Despite the controversy, their safe return marks another milestone in NASA’s collaboration with private space companies.