Sunita Williams finally returned to Earth on Wednesday after spending much longer than planned on the International Space Station. Her mission, originally set for just a few days, turned into a nine-month stay. This delay became a major topic in U.S. politics, with President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk blaming the previous administration for not handling the situation well. NASA, with help from Elon Musk, created a backup plan to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back from the International Space Station. They were stranded there for nine months because their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had technical issues and could not be used for their return to Earth. Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the previous Biden administration for the long delay, claiming—without proof—that politics played a role in keeping them on the ISS.
NASA and SpaceX officials did not confirm Musk’s claims during a recent press conference. Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, explained that they considered different options before deciding the best way to bring the astronauts home with SpaceX’s help.
The White House repeated Trump’s claim that he sped up their return, posting “PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT” on X.
The crew will first receive medical check-ups on the rescue ship, with ongoing monitoring in the following days and weeks. Later today, the Crew-9 team will be taken to NASA’s facility in Houston for further medical assessments.
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