SpaceX, NASA Celebrate Safe Return of Stranded Astronauts After Months on ISS
SpaceX and NASA are celebrating the successful return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, along with Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, after an extended nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Fox News reports.
The crew splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday, marking the end of a prolonged mission triggered by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
The original mission, planned for just one week following the Starliner’s launch in June 2024, was dramatically extended when NASA deemed it unsafe for the astronauts to return to Earth aboard the troubled spacecraft.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk congratulated both the SpaceX and NASA teams on their successful collaboration.
“Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home. And so congratulations to the SpaceX NASA teams on excellent work,” Musk said during a recent interview.
The extended duration of Wilmore and Williams’ stay on the ISS became a politically charged issue, with President Donald Trump publicly criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the situation. Trump, who has previously tasked Musk with various government efficiency initiatives through his purported Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claimed the astronauts had been “abandoned” in space.
“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. 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!!!” Trump said in a statement.
Musk also acknowledged Trump’s involvement, offering a “huge note of appreciation” for the President’s efforts in “prioritizing and expediting the return.”
