Former President made a request on Truth Social this 3rd; NASA and SPACEX already have rescue plan in March
President Donald Trump has asked Spacex CEO Elon Musk, NASA’s 2 astronaut repatriating, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, which have been on the ISS (International Space Station) since June. The request was made on the platform this 3rd (29 of Jan.2025), although there is already a plan between NASA and Spacex for the return of astronauts in March. NASA reiterated that astronauts are not “Abandoned” in space.
Wilmore and Williams were sent to space aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule to ISS, where they should stay for only 10 days. Due to technical problems, including propellants that did not work properly, the capsule returned to Earth without them. NASA compared the situation of astronauts with the fiction of Matt Damon in “The Martian”emphasizing that they could be brought back at any time.
The Biden administration had already established a partnership with Spacex for the safe return of Wilmore and Williams. An Spacex capsule, Crew-9, is coupled with ISS, awaiting the arrival of the substitute capsule, Crew-10.
The mission, scheduled for March, will bring 4 new astronauts to the station and will return with Wilmore and Williams. NASA announced the postponement of launch last month, citing the need for more time for Spacex to prepare.
Despite the guarantees of NASA and the existing plan, Trump criticized Biden administration for allegedly leaving astronauts “Virtually abandoned in space”. Musk also expressed concerns on his social networks, although his company is directly involved in the return plan.
