Elon Musk said on Fox News Tuesday that SpaceX offered to save astronauts several months earlier than planned, but his offer was turned down by the Biden administration due to “political reasons.”
After a nine-month stay at the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, initially scheduled for a week-long mission on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June, have safely returned to Earth through the help of Musk’s SpaceX. During an appearance on “Hannity,” Musk was asked if he previously offered to bring home the astronauts earlier. He said that he offered but was rejected.
WATCH:
“We definitely offered to return the astronauts earlier. There’s no question about that,” Musk said. “The astronauts were only supposed to be there for eight days, and they’ve been there for almost 10 months. So obviously that doesn’t make any sense. SpaceX could have brought the astronauts back after a few months at most. And we made that offer to the Biden administration. It was rejected for political reasons, and that’s just a fact.”
NASA astronauts Williams and Wilmore got stranded on the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft that they launched into orbit on June 5, 2024. According to LiveScience, five helium leaks and five failures in the reaction control system thrusters prolonged their stay in space beyond the planned duration.
Prior to their launch, the astronaut mission was postponed when a valve anomaly was detected in the Starliner capsule’s liquid oxygen tank, disrupting the planned takeoff. The United Launch Alliance called off the flight to the International Space Station after observing oscillating behavior in a pressure regulation valve during pre-launch operations, citing safety concerns for both flight and ground crews in their decision to scrub the launch.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
Whatever summer adventures you have planned — to the beach, pool, campground or even your…
If you're concerned about income inequality, you should be a fan of President Donald Trump's…
Schedule Summary: President Donald Trump will participate in NATO events on Wednesday and then return…