SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has praised both the SpaceX and NASA teams for ensuring a safe return for astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who spent more than nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Their return was made possible by the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down off the coast of Florida on March 18, 2025, at 3:27 AM IST. In his congratulatory message, Musk also thanked President Trump for prioritizing the mission.
However, the situation took a turn when Musk revealed that SpaceX had offered to bring the astronauts back earlier but was rejected by the Biden administration. According to Musk, this decision was made for political reasons.
Musk elaborated in an interview with Fox News, stating that SpaceX had made the offer to return the astronauts much earlier—considering that they were only meant to be in space for eight days.
However, the astronauts ended up staying in space for almost 10 months. Musk emphasized that this decision “didn’t make sense” since SpaceX had the capability to bring the astronauts home much sooner.
Musk’s comments came after earlier remarks in January 2025, when he criticized the Biden administration for leaving astronauts stranded aboard the Starliner spacecraft.
He pointed out that President Trump had reached out to Musk, asking SpaceX to bring back astronauts stranded in space. Musk had called the Biden administration’s delay in returning the astronauts “terrible.”
He mentioned that it was a situation where SpaceX could have returned the astronauts much earlier but was hindered by political factors. Musk also claimed that President Trump’s administration had asked him to bring the astronauts home as soon as possible.
Sunita Williams’ Journey to and from Space
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, were originally part of the Boeing Crew Flight Test in June 2024, which aimed to carry them to the ISS.
However, while approaching the space station on June 6, a helium leak was detected in the Starliner spacecraft, along with issues related to the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters. This led to the spacecraft returning to Earth without the astronauts on board.
In August 2024, the two astronauts were reassigned to SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, which resulted in a change to the crew composition. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were removed from the flight, and Williams and Wilmore replaced them on the mission.
The Crew-9 flight then saw NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov join the mission as commander and mission specialist, respectively.
Despite initial expectations for an 8-day mission, the two astronauts stayed on the ISS for 9 months due to various delays and complications. After a 17-hour journey, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft deployed its parachutes and made a successful splashdown in the ocean off the coast of Florida.
The splashdown was confirmed via a tweet from NASA, stating: “Splashdown confirmed! #Crew9 is now back on Earth in their @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.”
After the spacecraft safely landed, a NASA team helped open the hatch and assisted the astronauts in moving onto mobility aids. Williams was seen waving and flashing thumbs-up signs as she emerged from the capsule. When asked by a user on X (formerly Twitter) if the astronauts would have
