Elon Musk has praised SpaceX and NASA for their successful efforts in bringing back two astronauts who were stranded at the International Space Station for nearly nine months. During an interview on "Hannity," Musk expressed his gratitude to both teams for their outstanding work in ensuring the astronauts' safe return.
Musk also acknowledged President Donald Trump for his role in prioritizing and speeding up the astronauts' return. The SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully landed off the Florida coast, bringing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth. They had been on the space station since June 2024, initially scheduled for a brief mission following Boeing's first astronaut flight. However, technical issues with the spacecraft extended their stay.
The return of Wilmore and Williams became a political topic, with Musk previously accusing the Biden administration of leaving the astronauts in space for political reasons. Trump had tasked Musk with the rescue, criticizing former President Joe Biden for not acting sooner.
At a news conference following the landing, NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator Joel Montalbano addressed the claims, stating that the current administration had requested the astronauts' return, and the successful landing was the result.
Musk clarified that SpaceX had offered to bring the astronauts back earlier, but the offer was declined by the Biden administration for political reasons. He emphasized that the astronauts' extended stay was unnecessary and that SpaceX was ready to facilitate their return much sooner.