DOGE chief and advisor to Donald Trump Elon Musk has again accused former US President Joe Biden of blocking the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore. Musk said his company, SpaceX, could have brought the astronauts home six months ago, but Biden did not allow that.
Taking to X, Musk on Thursday said: “The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days and now have been there for 8 months. SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden White House (not NASA) refused to allow it. President Trump asked to bring them back as soon as possible and we are doing so [sic].”
The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days and now have been there for 8 months.
SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden White House (not NASA) refused to allow it.
President Trump asked to bring them back as… https://t.co/BVsHRn2Ocf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2025
Earlier in an interaction with Fox News, Musk had made the same claim that Williams and Wilmore had been left in space due to political reasons.
Musk’s latest claim came on Thursday after an interview if the astronauts went viral. Musk was responding to claims that the stranded astronauts had acknowledged that the SpaceX founder was “telling the truth”.
Is Elon Musk Telling The Truth?
While Wilmore did say that “what Mr Musk says is absolutely factual”, he made it clear that he had no knowledge of any offer made for their return to Earth. “
“I can only say that what Mr Musk says is absolutely factual. We have no information on that, though… What was offered, what was not, who was offered to, how the processes went… that’s information that we simply don’t have. So, I believe him. I don’t know all those details and I don’t think any of us can give you the answer that you are looking for,” Wilmore said in an interview on Tuesday.
NEW: Astronaut says Elon Musk is “absolutely factual” after a WaPo reporter asked him about how Musk said his rescue efforts were denied for political reasons.
Musk was condemned by the media for making the comment but it appears the astronauts agree.
Reporter: “Elon Musk has… pic.twitter.com/Qeb8sF8gnT
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 6, 2025
Astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams docked on the ISS on June 6, 2023, arriving aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Originally, their stay was meant to last about a week. However, the Starliner suffered helium leaks and thruster malfunctions during the journey, forcing NASA to extend their time on the station while engineers assessed the spacecraft’s safety. They are now slated to return to Earth on March 19, nearly nine months after their departure from the planet.
ALSO READ | Is Musk Telling The Truth About Biden Delaying Return Of Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore?
