Trump blames Biden for 'stranded' astronauts, calls on Musk for rescue

Donald Trump has publicly requested Elon Musk’s SpaceX to retrieve two astronauts he claims are 'stranded' in space, despite NASA’s assurance that the duo will return to Earth by the end of March.  

Posting on Truth Social, Trump alleged, “I have asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to bring the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration.” He concluded his message with, “Good luck Elon!!!”  

The two astronauts in question, NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, travelled to the International Space Station (ISS) in Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June 2024. Their mission, initially planned for just 10 days, was prolonged due to technical issues with the spacecraft, including malfunctioning thrusters. The Starliner returned to Earth without them, leaving Wilmore and Williams on the ISS.  

NASA denies astronauts are stranded  

NASA has categorically rejected Trump’s claim, stating that the astronauts are not stranded and that they can be returned to Earth if necessary. However, bringing them back prematurely could risk understaffing the ISS and disrupt ongoing scientific experiments and maintenance work.  

A joint NASA-SpaceX mission, designated Crew-10, has been planned to address this. The mission will send four new astronauts to the ISS and bring back Wilmore and Williams. Initially scheduled for earlier this year, NASA recently announced a slight delay, pushing the mission’s launch to March.  

Trump accuses biden

Trump has accused the Biden administration of abandoning the astronauts in space. In another post on Truth Social, he wrote, “Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”  

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and a key Trump ally, confirmed on X that he had been contacted by Trump to bring the astronauts back. Musk stated he would fulfil the request, but no further details were provided on how or when this might happen.  

NASA has consistently maintained that the situation is under control. Officials emphasised that any suggestion of the astronauts being “abandoned” is misleading, adding that the delay in their return is a calculated decision to ensure the station remains staffed and operational.  

NASA has not commented on Trump’s intervention but remains focused on the upcoming Crew-10 mission. The mission represents the ongoing collaboration between NASA and SpaceX, a partnership that has been instrumental in advancing human space exploration.