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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have finally returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The pair was originally scheduled to spend only eight days in space, but a glitch in their Boeing spacecraft forced them to remain in orbit far longer than expected.
On Tuesday, a SpaceX capsule carrying the two astronauts successfully parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico, hours after departing the ISS. The splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, bringing their prolonged space mission to an end.
Trump Vows to Welcome Astronauts to the White House
Following their return, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he plans to welcome Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59, to the Oval Office once they have fully recovered from their extended stay in space. “Number one, they have to get better,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, just before the astronauts’ splashdown.
HERO’S WELCOME: President Trump tells @IngrahamAngle astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams will visit the White House once they regain their strength. pic.twitter.com/U6t2tRE1dQ
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 19, 2025
“You know, when you’re up there and you have no pull in your muscle, you have no gravity, you can lift 1,000 pounds like this. They have to get better. It will be a little bit tough for them. It’s not easy, you know. They were up for a long time, and when they do, they will come to the Oval Office.”
Trump and Musk Criticize Biden for Astronauts’ Long Stay
Both Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have blamed former President Joe Biden for allegedly leaving the astronauts stranded in space for political reasons. “They were left up there for political reasons, which is not good,” Musk said last month.
“He was going to leave them in space. I think he was going to leave them in space … He didn’t want the publicity,” Trump claimed before the mission to bring them home.
Musk Praises SpaceX and NASA, Takes Aim at Biden
During an exclusive interview on Fox News’ Hannity, Elon Musk celebrated the astronauts’ safe return and credited SpaceX, NASA, and President Trump for prioritizing their rescue. He also accused the Biden administration of rejecting earlier rescue efforts due to political motives. “Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home. And so congratulations to the SpaceX NASA teams on excellent work,” Musk stated.
“A huge note of appreciation to President Trump for prioritizing and expediting the return.”
Musk further claimed that SpaceX had offered to bring the astronauts back much earlier, but the offer was rejected by the Biden administration. “We definitely offered to return the astronauts earlier. There’s no question about that.”
“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.”
Trump Celebrates Astronauts’ Return on Social Media
Earlier in the day, Trump publicly celebrated the return of the astronauts. The White House’s official X (formerly Twitter) account posted, “Promise made, promise kept: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to @ElonMusk, @SpaceX, and @NASA!”
Trump also shared a video of the astronauts’ splashdown, adding the caption, “USA! More winning.”
NASA’s Decision to Delay the Rescue Mission
In September, SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon capsule to rescue the astronauts. The capsule successfully docked at the International Space Station, but NASA decided to postpone the return mission.
In December, NASA stated that the astronauts would have to wait longer for another SpaceX rescue vehicle, which was tasked with bringing in replacement scientists before returning Wilmore and Williams to Earth.
After months of uncertainty, the astronauts have now safely completed their long-overdue journey home. As they recover, the debate over their prolonged stay in space continues, with Trump and Musk maintaining that political interference played a role in delaying their return.
