According to the White House press secretary, NASA astronauts who were stuck on the International Space Station have long been stuck in space due to the lack of “urgency” in ensuring their return to Earth.
Barry “Butch” Willmore and Snee Williams launched in June 2024 from the Boeing Star Liner spacecraft for a mission set that lasts just eight days. However, when the spacecraft encountered technical problems, NASA decided it was not safe to arrive on Earth with astronauts on board.
As a result, Wilmore and Williams remained stuck at the International Space Station until Tuesday when they parached on Earth off Florida.
“These two incredible astronauts were supposed to be there only eight days, but the lack of urgency in the Biden administration led them to spend nine months in space,” Executive Director Caroline Leavitt told reporters at the White House. “Joe Biden’s lack of courage to act boldly and decisively was a major reason why Butci and Suni didn’t get it back until yesterday. But President Trump is wasting no time.”
SpaceX Dragon Capsule Sticks Splashdown Landings returns home after NASA astronauts get stuck in space
Barry “Butch” Willmore and Snee Williams launched in June 2024 from the Boeing Star Liner spacecraft for a mission set that lasts just eight days. (NASA via AP)
A Biden spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Leavitt said after taking office in January, Trump had directed SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to hash plans to rescue astronauts at NASA. Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth in SpaceX Dragon Capsules.
Musk also announced the SpaceX team and NASA to congratulate them on their rescue and thanked Trump for prioritizing their mission.
Stuck astronaut says he believes Musk’s claim that Biden refused to perform rescue missions
Trump has instructed SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to hash his plan to save the astronauts at NASA. Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth in SpaceX Dragon Capsules. (Getty|Fox News)
“Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, astronauts are now safe at home,” Musk said Tuesday in an exclusive interview on “Hannity.” “And congratulations to the SpaceX NASA team for their outstanding work.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
Musk, who leads the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said in an interview with Hannity in February that he offered to work with the Biden administration to return the astronauts, but that his offer was rejected for “political reasons.”
In an interview in March, Wilmore said he trusted Musk’s assessment of the situation, but he said he was unaware of the nature of the private argument.
Wilmore said on March 4 at an orbital press conference on March 4, according to the New York Post.
Still, Wilmore said he couldn’t personally examine what the conversation entailed, as he said he wasn’t involved in the discussion.
“But there’s absolutely no information about it,” Wilmore said. “What was offered, what was not provided, who was provided, how the process went. That’s information we don’t have.”
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
Source link
