Elon Musk says Trump asked SpaceX to bring back 'stranded' astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore

Billionaire Elon Musk has claimed that US President Donald Trump personally requested SpaceX to expedite the return of two American astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Musk stated, "The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so." He also criticized the previous administration, calling it "terrible" that the astronauts had been left on the ISS for so long under former President Joe Biden’s tenure.

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

Shortly after Musk’s announcement, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, confirming that SpaceX will soon begin the mission to bring the astronauts home.

At 9:04 PM EST on January 28, 2025, Trump posted:

"I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!"

I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to go get the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 29, 2025

This statement adds to the growing political conversation surrounding the astronauts’ prolonged stay aboard the ISS.

Despite Trump and Musk's comments, NASA has maintained that the astronauts are neither stranded nor in distress. The agency has repeatedly assured that Williams and Wilmore are in good health and high spirits, awaiting a safe return to Earth as part of a carefully planned schedule.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were originally launched to the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for what was supposed to be a 10-day test mission. However, the Starliner experienced technical issues, leading NASA and Boeing to delay their return as engineers worked on assessing the spacecraft's problems. Ultimately, it was determined that returning on Starliner posed too much risk, prompting NASA to seek SpaceX’s assistance in bringing them back safely.

In August 2024, NASA officially requested SpaceX to return Williams and Wilmore aboard the Crew-9 mission using the Dragon capsule. To accommodate them, NASA adjusted the Crew-9 lineup, removing two of the originally scheduled astronauts.

However, further delays ensued. In December 2024, SpaceX postponed the Crew-9 return mission due to additional technical work on its latest Dragon spacecraft, which was set to debut with Crew-10. This meant that Williams and Wilmore’s return was pushed back to late March 2025, after Crew-10 reached the ISS.

NASA has yet to confirm whether an earlier departure is officially in the works. For now, Williams and Wilmore remain aboard the ISS, waiting for a definitive plan for their long-overdue journey back to Earth.