Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and the face of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recently spoke about his gratitude for both NASA and SpaceX teams after the rescue and return of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the two astronauts had been stranded on the International Space Station for nearly nine months after their planned return mission was delayed due to technical problems with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
Musk appeared on Fox News’ Hannity show Tuesday evening to personally congratulate the teams on their “excellent work” in ensuring the astronauts’ safe return to Earth.
“Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home. And so congratulations to the SpaceX NASA teams,” Musk said during the interview.
The two astronauts, who had initially planned a week-long mission, were left in space after Boeing’s spacecraft, which was supposed to carry them back to Earth, encountered technical difficulties. The delay sparked frustration among many, particularly after NASA previously announced that sending a rescue mission would take several additional months to organize.
Musk would also express gratitude toward President Donald Trump, who he credited for speeding up the rescue efforts.
The long delay had become a political flashpoint, with Musk previously criticizing the Biden administration’s mishandling of the astronauts’ return. In February, on Hannity, Musk argued that the astronauts’ situation had been specifically left unresolved for political reasons.
After Trump re-took office, he publicly tasked Musk and SpaceX with bringing the astronauts home, referring to their extended stay in space as another Biden failure.
“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!” Trump posted on January 28, 2025.
Wilmore and Williams, along with fellow Crew-9 Commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth on Tuesday evening with a successful splash landing off the coast of Florida.
In a post-landing news conference, NASA officials, including Joel Montalbano, Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA’s Space Operations, briefly addressed the rescue’s political controversy.
When asked about the accusations of any political bias in the mission, Montalbano simply said that the current administration had made it clear that the mission’s success was a priority.
“So I wasn’t involved in any conversations with the previous administration… It was clear we had a request from the current administration, and the results you saw are what we saw today with the landing of Crew-9,” Montalbano said.