Two NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, have spoken out against President Donald Trump’s claims that they were left “stranded” on the International Space Station after a test flight. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the duo clarified that they are not stranded or abandoned, but rather part of a well-planned human spaceflight program.
Wilmore said, “That’s been the rhetoric, but it’s not what our human spaceflight program is about. We’re prepared and committed.” Williams added, “We knew this was a test flight, and we were prepared for contingencies. We found some issues with the Starliner spacecraft, but that wasn’t a surprise.”
The astronauts’ comments contradict Trump’s claims, which sparked outrage among NASA officials and space enthusiasts. In January, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also tweeted that the Biden administration had left Williams and Wilmore “stranded” in space.
However, NASA had already planned for their return as part of its Crew-9 mission, which was delayed due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The new launch date for the Crew-10 mission has been updated to March 12, pending mission readiness.
NASA officials have stated that Presidents are not typically involved in space station matters, and the crew rotation schedule is managed by the agency and its partners.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/13/science/boeing-starliner-astronauts-stuck-space/index.html