Boeing Starliner Crew Confirms They're Not Stranded in Space

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NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are currently in low-Earth orbit following their launch aboard Boeing Starliner‘s inaugural crewed test flight in June, wish to clarify that they are not stranded on the International Space Station, nor have they been abandoned.

The astronauts expressed these thoughts during an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, responding to remarks made by President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, suggesting they had been left without support by the previous administration.

“That’s the story that has been told from the beginning: stranded, abandoned, stuck— and I understand why,” Wilmore shared. “However, that’s not what our human spaceflight program represents. We do not feel abandoned, trapped, or stuck.”

Wilmore urged for a shift in the dialogue, asking, “Let’s transform it into ‘prepared and committed.’”

“That’s our preferred narrative,” he indicated.

Both Williams and Wilmore have consistently asserted that they haven’t been stranded at the space station, with their recent comments marking a notable rebuttal of the statements made by the president from within the U.S. astronaut community.

Williams reiterated a point she has previously made, stating, “Butch and I were aware this was a test flight,” while acknowledging their preparedness for potential contingencies, which included the possibility of an extended stay in orbit.

“We anticipated encountering issues with the Starliner, and we did uncover some, but that wasn’t unexpected,” she explained.

Screen grab from video of astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore at a NASA press conference about Boeing Starliner in September 2024.

Claims by Musk and Trump

In late January, Musk accused the Biden Administration of leaving the two astronauts “stranded” and mentioned that Trump had urged SpaceX to intervene and bring them home.

“The @POTUS has instructed @SpaceX to expedite the return of the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station. We will respond promptly,” Musk tweeted, criticizing the Biden administration for the prolonged absence of support for the astronauts.

Trump also commented, asserting on his Truth Social platform that Williams and Wilmore had been “virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration.”

However, NASA had already devised a plan for their return in August, prior to Musk’s or Trump’s statements, requesting SpaceX to bring home Williams and Wilmore as part of its Crew-9 mission.

A delay in the departure was subsequently announced in December, due to mission teams requiring additional preparation time for a new SpaceX vehicle.

NASA announced Tuesday that Wilmore and Williams might return home sooner than originally expected after opting to switch the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule designated for the Crew-10 mission.

The Crew Dragon Endurance is set to transport astronauts to the space station, replacing Williams and Wilmore, alongside NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, starting March 12, “pending mission readiness.”

NASA has made it clear that this schedule adjustment was not influenced by any directive from Trump.

Typically, space station operations do not involve presidential oversight, as NASA and Roscosmos meticulously oversee the crew rotation schedule.

The Crew-10 mission will feature NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.

After arriving at the orbiting laboratory in June, NASA and Boeing dedicated weeks to identifying the cause behind the propulsion issues and gas leaks experienced during the astronauts’ initial mission with the Starliner spacecraft. Eventually, NASA determined the Starliner was too risky for the astronauts’ return trip.

Initially scheduled for a one-week stay during the Boeing Starliner test mission, the duo eventually became part of the official space station crew and were integrated into its rotation.

Williams and Wilmore are expected to return via SpaceX’s Crew-9 capsule, the Crew Dragon Freedom, which successfully reached the ISS in September, having reserved two seats for the expert astronauts.

The revised launch date for Crew-10 has now positioned the astronauts’ return ahead of the previously anticipated timeframe, as NASA initially aimed for a target in late March.

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