Tech billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused the Joe Biden administration of deliberately delaying the return of two NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are currently stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Musk also claimed that the astronauts were stuck there despite his company offering a rescue mission months ago.
On Wednesday, the 53-year-old billionaire took to his X (formerly called Twitter) and claimed that astronauts, originally set for an eight-day mission, had been stranded in orbit for over eight months due to White House interference.
ˇ°SpaceX could have sent up another Dragon and brought them home 6 months ago, but the Biden White House (not NASA) refused to allow it,ˇ± he wrote.
However, he also added that the US president, Donald Trump, intervened in the matter and asked to bring them back.
On June 6, 2024, two NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, flew to the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner, but since then NASA has found the spacecraft unsafe for reentry, which forced the indefinite delay of their comeback.
As per the TOI report, now both the astronauts will return on SpaceX Crew Dragon. '
Earlier, the Tesla owner warned about the dangers of prolonged spaceflight and especially its impact on the astronaut's health.
In a podcast with Joe Rogan, Musk stressed the risk of microgravity, including bone loss. He said, ˇ°There isn't anyone else to do it. NASA canˇŻt get them. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is the only one that is considered safe enough to bring them back."
He went on to criticize Boeing's Starliner, citing NASA's decision to keep it grounded.
Noticing the post, netizens started sharing their comments, and one wrote, "Thank you for your help! The Biden administration was a disgrace."
"Huge responsibility," another pointed out.
"Imagine hating Elon Musk so much that you condemn astronauts to 8 months of prison must to spite him."
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