Sunita Williams stranded in space? Musk, Trump, and the politics of NASA’s delayed mission

Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX will facilitate the return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024. Their return, initially planned via Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, has been repeatedly delayed due to technical issues.

Musk steps in after Trump’s request

Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that former U.S. President Donald Trump personally requested SpaceX to intervene. "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, adding, "Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long."

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

Trump also addressed the situation on Truth Social, claiming that the Biden administration had “abandoned” the astronauts in space. “Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!” he wrote. Musk later shared Trump’s post with a saluting face emoji.

NASA and Boeing’s delayed plans

Williams and Wilmore were originally meant to return aboard Boeing’s Starliner after a short 10-day mission. However, the spacecraft encountered technical issues, forcing NASA and Boeing to extend the astronauts’ stay. By August 2024, NASA had already assigned SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission to bring them back.

Despite this, delays continued. Crew-9 was scheduled for February 2025, but due to SpaceX requiring additional time to prepare its next-generation Dragon spacecraft, their return was pushed to March. However, Musk’s recent statements suggest that SpaceX may now attempt an early return using the Crew Dragon capsule, Freedom.

NASA’s position and the astronauts’ condition

While Trump’s remarks have politicized the mission, NASA has maintained that the astronauts are not stranded. The agency confirmed that Williams and Wilmore remain in good health and high spirits. In fact, both astronauts have continued their work aboard the ISS, with Williams recently completing her second spacewalk in two weeks.

As political tensions rise, SpaceX appears to be accelerating its mission to return the astronauts sooner than initially planned. Whether this is due to Trump’s public intervention or a pre-existing NASA directive remains unclear. However, one thing is certain—Williams and Wilmore may finally be on their way home sooner than expected.