'Absolutely factual'—Starliner astronauts clarify on Musk's claim of early return
What's the story
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Nick Hague recently responded to Elon Musk's claim that he offered an earlier return for "stranded astronauts" on the International Space Station (ISS) but the Biden administration refused to allow it. During a press briefing on March 5, they were asked about Musk's claim. Wilmore confirmed that "what Mr. Musk says is absolutely factual," but added, "We have no information on that though whatsoever; what was offered, what was not offered."
Denial
Wilmore refutes political influence on return timing
Wilmore denied accusations that politics influenced their return schedule from space. "Politics is not playing into this at all," he said. This was after Musk and former US President Donald Trump implied that Williams and Wilmore were left at the ISS for political reasons. Wilmore stressed, "We came up prepared to stay long, even though we planned to stay short."
Acknowledgment
Respect for Musk and Trump, despite political comments
Wilmore said they respect both Musk and Trump. "We all have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk and obviously respect and admiration for our President of the United States, Donald Trump," he said. He noted that they had heard their statements about politics being the reason for their extended stay at the ISS. Wilmore added they understand the complexities involved in such decisions which may not be fully disclosed to them.
Statements
Trump and Musk's comments on astronauts' situation
In January, Trump claimed he asked Musk and SpaceX to "go get" the two NASA astronauts who had been "abandoned in space" on the ISS. He hoped for their safety in a post on social media platform Truth Social. Musk then shared Trump's post and responded with a saluting face emoji. Later, he said SpaceX has been asked by the President to bring home these stranded astronauts as soon as possible.
Twitter Post
Take a look at what Musk said recently
The astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days and now have been there for 8 months.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2025
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
Duration
Williams and Wilmore's extended space mission
Williams and Wilmore have been in space for nine months now, far longer than their original eight-day mission plan. This prolonged stay has sparked speculation that they are "stuck" or "stranded" in space. However, both astronauts along with NASA have repeatedly clarified that they are not stranded but happy with their current situation.