Elon Musk and European astronaut Andreas Mogensen engaged in a heated exchange online following Musk’s implications that two NASA astronauts were purposely left on the International Space Station “for political motives.” The public clash unfolded after Musk’s comments during a joint interview with President Donald Trump, where he raised concerns about NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been stationed on the ISS for eight months due to issues with their Boeing spacecraft’s test flight.
Musk’s insinuation that the Biden administration prolonged the astronauts’ stay for political reasons sparked Mogensen’s rebuke, calling Musk out for spreading falsehoods. As tensions escalated, Musk resorted to name-calling, labeling Mogensen an “idiot” and employing derogatory language.
The exchange continued with Musk asserting that SpaceX had offered to bring the astronauts back earlier, but the Biden administration declined, citing political motives for postponing their return. Mogensen countered by emphasizing that the astronauts were scheduled to return with Crew-9 as per NASA’s plan since the previous September, highlighting that SpaceX was not sending a dedicated rescue mission but utilizing the Dragon capsule already present on the ISS.
Amidst the disagreement, NASA stressed its commitment to executing crew rotation missions safely and furthering research aboard the ISS for the advancement of space exploration. The White House refrained from immediate comment on the matter.
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield also weighed in, emphasizing the professionalism and dedication of the astronauts involved, reiterating that they were actively engaged in mission activities on the space station.
The contentious back-and-forth underscores broader scrutiny of Musk’s political affiliations and his dissemination of misleading information, particularly in light of recent controversies surrounding his statements on government affairs. Musk’s use of the astronauts’ situation to make political assertions has been a recurrent theme, drawing attention to his ongoing involvement in political discussions.
Wilmore and Williams embarked on a journey to the International Space Station via Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June. Their mission was to spend about a week at the space station as part of a test flight. Unexpectedly, the capsule encountered multiple issues, leading to the astronauts staying at the space station longer than initially planned. As a result, NASA made the decision to bring the Starliner back to Earth in September without any crew on board.
In a turn of events, the Biden administration called upon SpaceX to facilitate the return of Wilmore and Williams to Earth. This initiative involved rearranging existing crew assignments to create space for the two astronauts on a SpaceX capsule that was set to launch in late September. Although the return flight was originally scheduled for this month, it was postponed to late March to allow for additional time to complete processing on a new SpaceX spacecraft that would transport four crew members to the space station.
The upcoming launch of the Crew-10 mission, as well as the return of the astronauts from the ISS, is dependent on mission readiness and the completion of NASA’s certification of flight readiness process. Following the arrival of new crew members, Wilmore and Williams, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will depart from the station on a separate capsule. During the handover period between the new and departing crews, valuable information on ongoing experiments, maintenance projects, and protocols is exchanged.
In a Fox News interview, former President Trump reiterated an unproven assertion that Wilmore and Williams were abandoned in space. However, both astronauts have refuted this claim in recent interviews, emphasizing that they do not feel abandoned, stuck, or stranded. Wilmore highlighted that such narratives do not align with the essence of the human spaceflight program and the support provided by the space agencies.
Elon Musk, on the other hand, expressed his view that the International Space Station should be deorbited sooner than NASA’s planned timeline of 2030, suggesting that it has served its purpose and advocating for a shift towards Mars exploration. In response, NASA affirmed its commitment to utilizing the ISS and potential future commercial space stations as training platforms and laboratories for crewed missions to the moon and Mars, while remaining open to exploring new opportunities for space exploration under evolving administration plans.
