Despite NASA’s plans to bring back Suniá Astronauts Williams and Barry Eugene Wilmore in March, billionaire Elon Musk said US President Donald Trump asked Spacex to bring both astronauts as soon as possible.
Williams and Wilmore have been at the International Space Station (ISS) since June last year after arriving on a Boeing Starliner capsule. They became the first crew to fly in the vehicle as part of a critical test that should initially last about a week.
However, Starliner has faced several technical problems in its propulsion engines during the flight, leading NASA to decide to bring the capsule back to Earth Empty. The two astronauts should return on a future Spacex capsule.
NASA ensures that the delay does not pose risks to astronauts, as ISS received two refueling missions in November and is well equipped with supplies, including food, water, clothing and oxygen.
In addition, refueling ships took special items so that the crew could celebrate the holidays in space.
NASA also confirmed that a new crew needs to be launched before Williams and Wilmore can return.
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NASA even studied the possibility of using a different capsule to transport the new team, but decided that the best option would be to wait for the new capsule to ensure the continuity of operations.
In a post on platform X, Musk claimed to be “terrible that Biden administration left them there for so long.”
Trump also stated on his platform, Truth Social, that Williams and Wilmore were “virtually abandoned in space by Biden Administration.”
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(Com Bloomberg)
