NASA has reaffirmed its plan to work with SpaceX to return two astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) “as soon as practical,” despite President Donald Trump’s demand for a quicker return ¹. Trump had asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring back the astronauts, who were initially scheduled to return in March, “as soon as possible.”
The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left on the ISS due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. NASA had tapped SpaceX for their return in August, and the Crew Dragon spacecraft is already docked with the space station.
NASA spokesperson stated that the agency and SpaceX are working to safely return the astronauts while preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions. The original February departure date was delayed to late March due to the need for more time to process a new Crew Dragon capsule.
It’s unclear whether Trump’s demand will lead to an earlier return, but NASA has not changed its plan. Returning the astronauts before the Crew-10 capsule arrives could leave the station understaffed, with only one American astronaut on board.
