Trump and Musk Persistently Advocate for False Narrative of "Astronauts Stranded" on Starliner Mission
Trump and Musk continue to spread misleading information about the astronauts aboard the ISS, falsely claiming they're stranded and in need of rescue, blaming former president Biden for the situation. In an interview with Fox News, the duo repeatedly made false claims, such as SpaceX having "the go-ahead" to return astronauts Williams and Wilmore, and Biden intending to leave them in space.
These claims, however, are far from the truth. In August, NASA announced its plans to bring back Williams and Wilmore, alongside SpaceX Crew-9, which was originally scheduled for October. Issues with Crew-10's launch forced an adjustment, pushing back the return date to March 19. Far from a "rescue," this is simply an early return by a few weeks, achieved through NASA shuffling some spacecraft as per Trump's orders.
Musk told Hannity that SpaceX was "accelerating the return," implying that this wasn't the original plan, but he seemed unsure about the exact timeline, stating it was about four weeks away. However, NASA leadership has maintained that politics have not played a role in their decision-making, citing safety as their main concern.
Both Musk and Trump have personal stakes in misrepresenting the situation. Musk, as the owner of SpaceX, competes with Boeing, and Trump has repeatedly blamed Biden for allegedly abandoning the astronauts. Trump even tweeted that he had ordered Musk to "go get" the pair.
The Starliner mission—which saw Wilmore and Williams stay aboard the ISS longer than intended due to issues with the capsule's thrusters and leaks—has been a significant fiasco. The mission, originally scheduled for eight days, is now estimated to have gone over $2 billion budget, according to NASA's recent SEC filing.
It's worth noting that Musk's companies receive around $22 billion in government contracts. The Starliner project suffered cost overruns and delays for years as Boeing struggled to compete with SpaceX in the crewed commercial space launch realm. In response to these concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration has frozen future missions involving the troubled craft.
Despite the Starliner's failure and subsequent costs, both Williams and Wilmore have continued working aboard the ISS, with Williams even setting a spacewalking record in the process. Their extended stay is not due to political reasons or misplaced blame, but rather the necessary safety checks and logistical challenges inherent in such situations.
- Elon Musk suggested during his interview on Fox News that SpaceX is accelerating the return of astronauts Williams and Wilmore, indicating a deviation from the original plan, but expressed uncertainty about the exact timeline, stating it was around four weeks away.
- NASA leadership has maintained that politics have not influenced their decision-making, with safety being their primary concern, despite claims from Trump and Musk that they're supposedly stranded on the ISS and in need of rescue.
- The future of space travel and technology relies heavily on cooperation between companies like SpaceX and NASA, as shown by the Starliner mission, which saw Wilmore and Williams stay aboard the ISS longer than planned due to issues with the capsule's thrusters and leaks.
- Hannity, in his interview with Trump and Musk, repeatedly allowed them to spread misleading information about the astronauts aboard the ISS, supporting their false claims such as SpaceX having "the go-ahead" to return the astronauts and Biden intending to leave them in space.
