NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore successfully returned to Earth on Tuesday after an extended nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their homecoming, however, became a point of political contention as former President Donald Trump used the event to criticize President Joe Biden’s administration.
Delayed Return and Mission Challenges
Williams, 59, and Wilmore, 62, originally embarked on what was supposed to be a weeklong mission in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, technical issues with the capsule’s thrusters led to delays in their return. As a result, NASA opted to integrate them into the station’s standard six-month crew rotation. Eventually, the Starliner was sent back to Earth without crew, successfully landing in New Mexico on September 7, 2024.
On Tuesday at 1:05 a.m. ET, Williams and Wilmore departed the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The capsule splashed down safely off Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tallahassee just before 6 p.m. ET.
Astronauts Deny Neglect Claims
Despite the prolonged mission, both astronauts maintained a positive outlook, stating they felt neither abandoned nor neglected by the Biden administration. In a February interview with CNN, Wilmore dismissed claims that they were stranded, emphasizing that they were fully prepared for the mission’s extension.
Trump and Musk’s Criticism
Nevertheless, Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a key Trump ally, alleged that the Biden administration had intentionally delayed the astronauts’ return for political reasons. On Monday, Trump took to Truth Social, falsely asserting that the Biden administration had “shamefully forgotten” about the astronauts due to embarrassment over the mission’s setbacks. He credited himself and Musk for facilitating their return.
While the astronauts’ journey back to Earth marks a successful conclusion to an unexpectedly extended mission, the political rhetoric surrounding their return continues to stir debate.
