Sunita Williams Left in Space Due To Political Reasons: Elon Musk Makes Big Statement- wna24
Elon Musk and astronaut Sunita Williams | Image:
X
Washington: US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday claimed that NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were left stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) by the previous Joe Biden administration.
President Trump asserted that SpaceX was not given a ‘go-ahead’ to bring back the astronauts due to Joe Biden’s desire of not having publicity over the matter.
“Joe Biden was going to leave stranded NASA astronauts, including Sunita Williams, in space,” President Trump told US TV network Fox News in an interview sitting alongside Elon Musk.
Astronauts Left on ISS Due To Political Reasons, says Musk
Elaborating over Trump’s remark, Elon Musk said, “They are left there for political reasons which is not good.”
When asked if the return of astronauts will turn out to be a success, SpaceX founder said, “We don’t want to be complacent, but we have brought back astronauts from the space station before.”
Musk further said that it is likely that astronauts will return to Earth “within about four weeks.”
“But we will have to be very cautious,” he added.
(Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore/AP)
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Stuck in Space For Nearly 300 Days
Sunita Williams and Wilmore have been in the International Space Station for over 250 days.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have been scheduled to return on the Crew 9 mission at the end of March 2025. With this, they will complete nearly 300 days in space.
Their return could occur via a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which has had seats available for them since September 2024. The situation began when the two astronauts launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule in June 2024 for a mission that was initially expected to last only eight to 10 days.
However, the mission encountered technical issues, including propellant leaks and problems with the Starliner’s propulsion system.NASA then extended the astronauts’ stay on the ISS to avoid disrupting the overall crew rotation schedule.
This extension was based on a risk assessment and the desire to maintain operational stability for the ISS. Wilmore and Williams remained on the ISS with no immediate risk, while their Starliner capsule was brought back to Earth under remote control without them, reported CBS News.