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Featured Stories March 19,2025 | Independence Journal Editorial Team

Musk Says Biden Blocked SpaceX Rescue Of Stranded Astronauts For ‘Political Reasons’

Tech mogul Elon Musk said the Biden administration refused his offer to bring two NASA astronauts home months ago, leaving them stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly 10 months. He made the claim Tuesday night during an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” saying SpaceX could have conducted the rescue long before NASA approved it.

“We definitely offered to return the astronauts earlier. There’s no question about that,” Musk said. “The astronauts were only supposed to be there for eight days, and they’ve been there for almost 10 months. So obviously that doesn’t make any sense. SpaceX could have brought the astronauts back after a few months at most. And we made that offer to the Biden administration. It was rejected for political reasons, and that’s just a fact.”

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for what was intended to be a short mission. However, five helium leaks and five failures in the reaction control thrusters extended their time on the ISS. NASA deemed the spacecraft unsafe for their return, keeping the astronauts stuck in orbit far beyond their scheduled mission.

NASA and SpaceX ultimately coordinated a return plan, and Williams, Wilmore, Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down off the Florida coast Tuesday evening. The landing marked the end of a drawn-out saga that critics say was unnecessarily prolonged by political decisions rather than safety concerns.

Musk took the opportunity to congratulate his team, calling the mission’s completion a “moment of optimism.” He also thanked President Donald Trump for stepping in to get the astronauts home, saying Trump prioritized and expedited the process after what Musk described as Biden’s inaction. Trump publicly blasted Biden for the delay, posting on social media that the astronauts had been “virtually abandoned” in space. He instructed Musk to “go get” them, emphasizing that they had been waiting for months due to what he believed was political interference.

NASA officials, however, downplayed Musk’s allegations. Deputy Associate Administrator Joel Montalbano refused to comment on any discussions under Biden, only saying that the agency acted based on the current administration’s requests.

 

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