- Elon Musk alleges NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are stranded on the ISS for political reasons, though their scheduled return was delayed due to technical issues. Astronauts Andreas Mogensen and Chris Hadfield refuted Musk’s claims, reaffirming the mission timeline.
Elon Musk has found himself in a spat with two astronauts, who say he is lying about a pair of NASA staff allegedly being "stranded" in space by the Biden administration.
SpaceX founder Musk and President Donald Trump have repeatedly said Commander Sunita "Suni" Williams and Captain Barry "Butch" Wilmore have been abandoned on the International Space Station (ISS).
Commander Williams and Captain Wilmore themselves have confirmed this isn't the case, explaining that their return to Earth was delayed due to technical issues on one of the craft.
Despite the explanations given by the individuals themselves, Musk claimed in an interview with Fox News this week that "they were left up there for political reasons."
"What a lie," Andreas Mogensen, an astronaut who commanded the ISS between September 2023 to early 2024, posted on X above a clip of Musk's interview.
"And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media," he added.
The criticism from an esteemed member of the space community prompted a furious reply from SpaceX boss, Musk.
Launching his tirade with a slur against Mogensen, Musk continued: "SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago.
"I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons."
He then called Mogensen an idiot.
The Danish astronaut and aerospace engineer responded: "Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla.
"You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home.
"They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September."
Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla.
— Andreas Mogensen (@Astro_Andreas) February 20, 2025
You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home.…
Mogensen's account was supported by another former ISS commander, retired Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield.
The commander, who has flown three missions, reposted on the exchange a point he made earlier this week, which reads: "Suni and Butch have never been ‘stranded’ in space. They’re prepared and committed to the mission, like all professional astronauts.
"Suni’s Space Station commander, they’re doing spacewalks, working hard on behalf of NASA and all partners, having the time of their lives."
Representatives for the White House, SpaceX and NASA did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.
Why are Williams and Wilmore still in space?
The NASA staffers had been due to return to Earth on board Boeing’s Starliner in early September.
However, NASA and Boeing said they identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters in June.
In a statement in August, NASA said engineers had undertaken a "significant" number of tests, contingency planning and reviews.
However, "the uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence [did] not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight."
As a result, the pair were rescheduled to return alongside the next returning cohort (Crew-9) scheduled to come home next month aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Crews aboard the ISS work in tandem, with one team arriving as the next leaves. Incoming Crew-10 is due to arrive at the ISS in March.
As a result, instead of being in space for a little over a week, Commander Williams and Captain Wilmore have been at the ISS for months—an experience out of the ordinary for NASA astronauts.
During that time, Musk and President Trump's claims have changed from criticism of the Biden administration to claims that the duo was left in space for "political" reasons.
What do the astronauts say?
Commander Williams and Captain Wilmore—both former Navy captains—themselves have explained why they haven't returned home sooner, despite a crew-carrying Dragon being docked at the ISS since September.
"The plan is that Crew-10 will launch on the 12th of March, they'll come here, rendezvous and dock—we'll do a turnover for about a week, and we will return on or about the 19th of March," Captain Wilmore told CNN this week.
"We bring crews to and from Space Station, we have a cycle of a period of time where those things take place, and to alter that cycle sends ripple effects all the way down the chain," Captain Wilmore added. "We would never expect to come back just special for us—or anyone—unless it was a medical issue or something really, really out of the circumstances."
"We don't feel abandoned. We don't feel stuck. We don't feel stranded," he added. "I understand why others may think that. We come prepared, we come committed ... if you'll help us change the narrative, let's change it to prepared and committed vs what you've been hearing."
