Posts by President Trump and Elon Musk roiled the space community, raising the prospect of an earlier-than-planned return for the Starliner crew.

The president and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are falsely blaming Biden for the situation, ignoring an existing plan that's been in place since last year.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for what was initially an eight-day mission. Due to propulsion system issues, NASA deemed Starliner unsafe for their return and reassigned them to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission in September.

President Donald Trump has accused the Biden administration of abandoning two astronauts currently on the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, have been stuck on the ISS since their Boeing Starliner capsule developed issues last summer.

President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk are vowing to bring home two NASA astronauts who they say have been wrongly stuck aboard the International Space Station for nearly eight months. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams reached the space station in June and became stuck after the Boeing spacecraft that had transported them there experienced thruster issues and helium leaks.

The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @SpaceStation as soon as possible. We will do so,” Musk said on his social media app, X, Tuesday evening.

US President Donald Trump said he asked Elon Musk's and SpaceX to “go get” the two NASA astronauts, who have been “abandoned in space”, as soon as possible.

Sunita Williams along with her fellow astronaut Butch Willmore have been at the ISS since June last year. The pair had launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight,

While Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s situation is unusual, their return trip will be pretty routine, as they were already slated to fly home on a SpaceX capsule as part of a scheduled crew rotation.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is indicating his private spaceflight company could work to bring NASA astronauts back home sooner than expected.

NASA in December announced that SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is now targeting no earlier than late March 2025 for its launch.