US President Donald Trump had revealed his plan to bring back two astronauts, namely Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck in International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024, due to Boeing’s faulty Starliner. Their flight journey was supposed to last 10 days. Sending out a hope for them, Trump had stated that a rescue team could be launched into orbit to bring astronauts to earth.
The 78-year-old President gave the charge of this task to Elon Musk and SpaceX. Musk, in an interview to Fox News had said it would take four weeks to bring them back, adding, “Well, we don’t want to be complacent, but we have brought astronauts back from the space station many times before, and always with success.”
SpaceX, on Friday, launched Crew-10 mission to ISS, comprising of four astronauts, which replaces Crew-9. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) posted on X, “Have a great time in space, y’all! #Crew10 lifted off from @NASAKennedy at 7:03pm ET (2303 UTC) on Friday, March 14.”
Once the Crew-10 spacecraft arrives and docks at the ISS on March 15, the four astronauts will take their time to adjust to the environment and then takeover operations from Crew-9. They are expected to depart the ISS no earlier than March 19, NASA said.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth posted a video message prior to the launch, showcasing his support for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10, saying, “I just want to take a brief moment to say we are praying for you. We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon. President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘get the astronauts home and do it now’ – and they’re responding. And they’re bringing NASA astronauts, [who] also happen to be retired U.S. Navy Capt. Butch Wilmore and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Suni Williams, home.”
On January 20, Musk said Trump had asked him to pave the way for astronauts’ return. NASA and Boeing had comprehended the situation but concluded that it could be unsafe for Starliner to come back with the crew. The space agency then decided to rope in SpaceX for this mission.
‘Abandoned for political reasons’
Hitting out at the Biden administration, Trump and SpaceX CEO, during their first joint interview with Fox News, alleged the Williams and Wilmore were ‘abandoned’ for ‘political reasons’. Trump claimed that the SpaceX didn’t have the permission for this with the Biden administration. Both remarked the previous government was ‘going to leave them in space’.
“At the President’s request, we – or instruction, we are accelerating the return of the astronauts, which was postponed, kind of, to a ridiculous degree,” Musk had said.
