Elon Musk Criticises Biden Over Delayed Rescue of Stranded Astronauts
Elon Musk has accused the Biden administration of delaying the rescue of two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly 10 months, claiming the decision was politically motivated.
The SpaceX CEO credited his company, NASA, and former President Donald Trump for ensuring the safe return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. The two were originally scheduled for a one-week mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, but technical failures left them unable to return.
"Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home," Musk said during an interview on Fox News' Hannity. He also thanked Trump for prioritising their return after taking office in January.
Musk alleged that SpaceX had offered to bring the astronauts back much earlier, but the Biden administration rejected the proposal. "We definitely offered to return the astronauts earlier. There's no question about that," he said. "SpaceX could have brought the astronauts back after a few months at most, and we made that offer to the Biden administration. It was rejected for political reasons, and that's just a fact."
The prolonged stay of Wilmore and Williams became a political issue during Trump’s first months back in office. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump directed Musk to bring the astronauts home, accusing Biden of abandoning them in space.
"I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration," Trump posted at the time. "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!"
On Tuesday, Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth alongside Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Their SpaceX capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida just before 6 p.m. ET.
At a post-landing news conference, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Joel Montalbano declined to comment on the Biden administration’s handling of the situation. "Yeah, so I wasn't involved in any conversations with the previous administration," Montalbano said. "It was clear we had a request from the current administration, and the results you saw are what we saw today with the landing of Crew-9."
Musk remained firm in his criticism. "The astronauts were only supposed to be there for eight days, and they've been there for almost 10 months. So, obviously, that doesn't make any sense," he said.
Elon Musk accused the Biden administration of delaying the rescue of two stranded astronauts for political reasons.
The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, were stuck on the ISS for nearly 10 months due to technical failures with Boeing’s Starliner.
Musk credited SpaceX, NASA, and Donald Trump for ensuring their safe return.
Source: TIMES OF INDIA