Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Claims of two NASA astronauts being “stranded” on the ISS were widely circulated online, with former President Donald Trump alleging abandonment by the Biden administration. However, NASA had long planned their return for March or April.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner in June 2024 for an eight-day mission. Due to thruster malfunctions, NASA postponed their return and integrated them into ISS operations.
NASA had already arranged for Williams and Wilmore to return aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon as part of the Crew-9 mission. This decision was finalized in September 2024, ensuring their safe return without additional risks.
On January 28, Trump claimed on Truth Social that the astronauts were “abandoned” and that he had personally asked Elon Musk to rescue them. Musk responded, stating, “We will do so,” further fueling misinformation.
Despite playing along with Trump’s claim, Musk has not announced any actual mission to retrieve the astronauts. No extra SpaceX launch has been scheduled, reinforcing speculation that this was a political stunt.
Launching a new Crew Dragon mission would be unnecessary and risky. SpaceX’s Crew-9 already has seats reserved for the astronauts, and unscheduled launches would disrupt NASA’s meticulous planning.
An emergency launch would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, require extensive coordination with NASA, and face limitations due to available docking ports on the ISS—making it impractical and redundant.
Dr. Lisa Sanders, an aerospace policy analyst, noted in The Journal of Space Studies that “public space narratives often intertwine with political agendas, turning technical issues into ideological battlegrounds.” This appears to be another such case.
NASA remains focused on its planned return mission, ignoring political theatrics. Williams and Wilmore are continuing ISS research, and when March or April arrives, they will return safely—without any dramatic “rescue.”