NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were stranded on the International Space Station for nearly 10 months, far beyond their intended mission length. While technical failures on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft initially delayed their return, Elon Musk revealed that SpaceX had offered to bring them back much earlier — an offer he says the Biden administration rejected.
Speaking on Fox News, Musk stated that SpaceX was fully capable of returning the astronauts months earlier. “We definitely offered to return the astronauts earlier. There’s no question about that,” he said. “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.”
#BREAKING : Elon Musk accuses biden of blocking SpaceX mission to bring Sunita Williams home.
"The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days and now have been there for 8 months," Musk posted on X (formerly Twitter). "SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and… pic.twitter.com/yahqfhaFUh
— upuknews (@upuknews1) March 19, 2025
Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Starliner on June 5, 2024, for a brief mission, but issues quickly emerged. Multiple helium leaks and thruster failures made the spacecraft unsafe for reentry, forcing the astronauts to remain at the space station. SpaceX, which has successfully completed multiple return missions, was willing to step in, but Musk says the White House blocked the move.
Gracias al presidente Trump y a la cápsula espacial Crew Dragon de SpaceX, de Elon Musk, los astronautas que habían sido abandonados en el espacio por Biden durante nueve meses, ya están de regreso en casa. pic.twitter.com/h3i50EACSz
— James Nava (@JamesNavaCom) March 19, 2025
President Donald Trump called out the Biden administration for failing to act, saying the astronauts had been “virtually abandoned” in space. He later instructed Musk to retrieve them, emphasizing the urgency of their situation. Musk credited Trump with accelerating the process, ensuring the mission was finally approved.
Good morning !
Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams are safely back on Earth after nine months in space, thanks to Elon Musk and his SpaceX team. While the Biden administration left them stranded, Elon stepped up and his Dragon Crew brought our heroes… pic.twitter.com/lfs3LceJN5
— Zelena✨WECKER (@wonamby) March 19, 2025
On Tuesday, Wilmore, Williams, Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The mission marked the end of a prolonged ordeal that some say could have been resolved months ago.
Never forget:
Joe Biden hates Elon Musk so much, he left 2 astronauts stranded on the ISS for 9 months, basically to die. #NASA Dragon landing! @SpaceX https://t.co/JY4IFI8Cu6
— Prof. Whitey McPriviledged 𝕏 (@WhiteBoySpicy) March 18, 2025
NASA officials sidestepped questions about why the return was delayed. Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, stated that the agency acted under the direction of the current administration.
