Two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, were finally brought home after spending nearly 10 months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). But according to Elon Musk, their return could have happened much sooner if the Biden administration hadn’t rejected SpaceX’s offer to retrieve them.
Speaking on Fox News, Musk stated that his company had the ability to return the astronauts months earlier but was turned down for “political reasons.” He explained that the original mission was supposed to last just over a week, but due to failures on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, the astronauts remained stranded.
#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
“The astronauts were only supposed to be there for eight days, and they’ve been there for almost 10 months,” Musk 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.”
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
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, but their return was delayed due to multiple helium leaks and thruster failures in Starliner’s propulsion system. The prolonged stay raised concerns about safety, but SpaceX was not allowed to step in until months later.
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
President Donald Trump intervened earlier this year, criticizing Biden for leaving the astronauts in space. Trump said he personally asked Musk to “go get” them, arguing that the administration had neglected the situation. Musk later credited Trump for prioritizing the return.
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
On Tuesday, Williams and Wilmore finally returned to Earth alongside Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
When asked about the situation, NASA official Joel Montalbano did not address whether Biden blocked an earlier return, stating only that the agency followed instructions from the current administration.
