President Donald Trump thanked NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro for helping the two stranded astronauts make their way home to Earth and cited her team of “geniuses” for making the return possible.
Trump said he had asked SpaceX owner Elon Musk, a key ally of his administration, to rescue astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded on the International Space Station for nine months while on a mission intended to last a week. The president blamed his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and his administration for failing to bring the astronauts home, claiming the Biden administration was “incapable of doing so.”
“I just spoke with the Acting Administrator of NASA, Janet Petro,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She is coordinating our Team of highly respected Scientists, Space Engineers, and various other ‘geniuses,’ who has agreed to let our Astronauts come home long prior to the two week period originally approved by NASA. Janet was great. She said, ‘Let’s bring them home NOW, Sir!’ — And I thanked her.”
The president also reiterated the news that SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft had docked on the space station and “hopefully” will be home soon. The spacecraft is expected to undock from the ISS at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday if the weather permits. SpaceX has explained that the return mission includes a plan to “re-enter Earth’s atmosphere for splashdown off the coast of Florida approximately 17 hours later the same day.”
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“Safety always comes first, and maximum standards are being adhered to,” Trump wrote. “But after eight long months for a mission that was supposed to be eight days, IT IS TIME. I look forward to seeing Butch and Suni, and thank you again to NASA and Janet Petro!”
Musk claimed earlier this month that the Biden administration rejected his offer to help bring the astronauts home sooner. While the Biden administration denied Musk’s claim, which the billionaire made on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk speculated the Biden administration turned down his offer due to his endorsement of Trump ahead of the 2024 election.