Donald Trump Seeks Elon Musk’s Assist To Deliver ‘Stranded’ Sunita Williams Dwelling
Washington DC:
Billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday (native time) stated that US President Donald Trump had requested him to facilitate the return of the 2 Boeing Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who’ve been on the area station since June 2024, as quickly as attainable.
The SpaceX CEO claimed that it was “horrible” that the pair had been left “stranded” on the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) by former President Joe Biden’s administration for thus lengthy, regardless that NASA had already roped in SpaceX months in the past to return each astronauts as a part of its Crew-9 mission.
“The @POTUS has requested @SpaceX to deliver dwelling the two astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as quickly as attainable. We are going to accomplish that,” Musk stated in a put up on X.
The @POTUS has requested @SpaceX to deliver dwelling the two astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as quickly as attainable. We are going to accomplish that.
Horrible that the Biden administration left them there so lengthy.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2025
“Horrible that the Biden administration left them there so lengthy,” he added.
NASA has repeatedly stated that astronauts usually are not stranded and that they’re wholesome, and in good spirits.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams launched to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024. The flight, which was supposed to final solely 10 days, skilled a rocky journey. After arriving on the area station, NASA and Boeing labored for weeks to raised perceive the issues within the spacecraft nevertheless it was in the end determined that it was too dangerous to return the Startliner with the crew.
Following this, in August 2024, the area company introduced that it had requested SpaceX to deliver Williams and Wilmore dwelling aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule. The 2 astronauts had been slotted into Crew-9, with NASA eradicating two of the 4 crew members who had been set to launch on the SpaceX Dragon in September.
As a substitute, solely an astronaut and cosmonaut had been launched aboard that flight to make room for Williams and Wilmore, who had been set to return dwelling on the finish of the expedition in February of 2025.
Nevertheless, there was one other delay in December, as a result of SpaceX wanted extra time to work on the newest Dragon spacecraft, which can be debuting with the launch of Crew-10.
That meant Crew-9, together with the 2 Boeing astronauts, wouldn’t be again dwelling till late March after Crew-10 reached the ISS.
However Musk’s newest put up advised that the Crew Dragon capsule, named ‘Freedom,’ could make an early departure from the ISS, with Wilmore and Williams onboard.
