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

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.