'Stranded in Space for 10 Months'! Musk slams Biden, praises Trump for astronauts' rescue

In an exclusive interview on Hannity of Fox News, Musk conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to the NASA and SpaceX teams who facilitated the rescue. He also praised former President Donald Trump for making the return of the astronauts a priority. "Huge thanks to President Trump for making this a priority and for getting a rapid solution," Musk said. Nevertheless, he was not shy in accusing the Biden administration of denying approval for an earlier return when SpaceX was capable of doing so.

Astronauts' mission was only meant to last a week

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore initially launched Boeing's Starliner mission in June 2024, with the expectation of remaining on the ISS for only eight days. Technical malfunctions with Boeing's spacecraft left them stranded for almost ten months, making their prolonged stay one of the longest unplanned missions in space history.

Musk announces SpaceX was prepared to act earlier

Musk asserted that SpaceX was ready to return the astronauts months ago but was continuously denied by the Biden administration. "We strongly advised an earlier return. SpaceX could have brought them home in a few months, but our offer was rejected for purely political reasons," Musk disclosed.

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Trump takes a victory lap, calls out Biden

Former President Trump did not hesitate to claim credit for the rescue. In a tweet at the time, he blamed the Biden administration for "abandoning" the astronauts and said he had personally instructed Musk to bring them back. "I just called Elon Musk and @SpaceX and told them to 'go get' the 2 heroic astronauts who were abandoned in space by the Biden Administration," Trump tweeted.

NASA remains neutral as political ruckus

NASA officials mostly refrained from taking sides in the political disagreement. During a post-landing press conference, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Joel Montalbano refused to comment on the Biden administration's approach to the matter. "I wasn't part of any meetings with the last administration," he stated. "The mission was executed pursuant to current guidance, and today's successful return is what we were striving for."

Musk: "they were meant to stay 8 days, not 10 months"

Musk also took to social media to drive home the inanity of it all. "The astronauts were originally scheduled for an eight-day stint on the ISS. But instead, they spent close to ten months up there. Naturally, that isn't logical," he posted. Now that Wilmore and Williams are safely home on Earth, political tensions rage on about the reasons behind their tardy return.