Donald Trump asks Elon Musk's SpaceX to 'go get' two Boeing Starliner astronauts stuck in space on ISS - with Tesla CEO hailed a 'hero'

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday night (28 January) that he had asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to return two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station, who were already scheduled to fly back on a SpaceX capsule in March. Musk earlier on Tuesday said Trump had asked him to return the two astronauts "as soon as possible," suggesting a change to NASA's current plan for a late March return. "We will do so," Musk said.

Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter: “The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social: "I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!".

Wilmore and Williams flew Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the ISS last summer for an eight-day test mission that instead has lasted nearly a year because of problems with the craft's propulsion system. NASA in August, during President Joe Biden's administration, deemed Starliner too risky to bring them back to Earth and tapped SpaceX to return them on a Crew Dragon spacecraft.

That craft is already docked with the space station, having flown there for NASA's Crew-9 astronaut rotation mission in September with empty seats for Wilmore and Williams. The astronauts' original February departure date on Crew-9 was delayed to late March because SpaceX needed more time "to complete processing" of a new Crew Dragon capsule that will replace theirs for the Crew-10 mission, NASA said in December.

It was unclear whether Trump's demand would mean NASA bringing Crew-9 back to Earth before the Crew-10 capsule arrives, or SpaceX launching Crew-10 earlier than planned. Wilmore and Williams are among seven astronauts on the ISS, and they remain healthy and busy with routine scientific research aboard the station, NASA has said.

Users responded to Musk’s post on X saying the Tesla CEO is a “hero” for rescuing the astronauts. Another added: “Commander Elon to the rescue”.