Is Elon Musk right about this?
Elon Musk recently criticized President Joe Biden for what he described as leaving two American astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station for what he believes were purely political reasons. During an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Musk, alongside former President Donald Trump, expressed frustration over the delay in returning the astronauts.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, revealed that his company had launched a Crew Dragon capsule in September with the intention of rescuing the astronauts. However, despite the mission’s success in docking with the space station, NASA chose to delay their return, which Musk called a decision made for political purposes. “They were left up there for political reasons, which is not good,” Musk told Hannity.
According to Musk, the astronauts were originally scheduled to return much earlier, but the plan was postponed “to a ridiculous degree.” He clarified that SpaceX is now accelerating their return, noting that the astronauts will be back on Earth in “about four weeks.” “At the president’s request, or instruction, we are accelerating the return,” Musk added. However, the billionaire emphasized that his team would continue to exercise extreme caution in the process, as they have successfully brought astronauts back from the space station numerous times before.
Former President Trump also weighed in, stating, “They didn’t have the go-ahead with Biden. He was going to leave them in space. I think he was going to leave them in space… He didn’t want the publicity.”
The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, were originally supposed to stay in space for just eight days, but due to an issue with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, they’ve been stranded for over 250 days. NASA later announced that the pair would not be brought back until March at the earliest, with an additional handover period to follow.
Trump, in a social media post, accused Biden of “abandoning” the astronauts. While Wilmore and Williams insisted that they didn’t feel abandoned, they acknowledged the extended stay was not expected. They reassured the public that they were safe and making the most of their situation.
The joint interview between Trump, Musk, and Hannity, filmed last week at the White House, also discussed Musk’s initiative aimed at cutting wasteful government spending, highlighting his efforts to improve federal efficiency.