Trump Calls On Musk To Rescue 'Stranded' Astronauts, But NASA Picked SpaceX Last Year

President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk both shared on social media that SpaceX will be bringing “stranded” astronauts from the International Space Station home. The announcements caused confusion as SpaceX was selected by President Joe Biden to bring them home last year.

What Happened: Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams went to space aboard a Boeing BA Starliner in June, but issues with the spacecraft led to their weeklong mission being extended.

"The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @SpaceStation as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long," Musk tweeted.

After the Starliner was sent to Earth without the crew due to the malfunctions, President Biden selected SpaceX to return the astronauts home instead of Boeing. SpaceX sent its Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station in September, with two empty seats so it could bring Wilmore and Williams home, as reported by Ars Technica.

The Dragon vehicle is docked at the ISS and could bring the astronauts home at any time.

Ars Technica author Eric Berger said Musk's tweet could be trolling, but ultimately could spell trouble for NASA, which has stressed that the astronauts are not stranded as they now have a ride home.

"Along comes Musk, with one of the world's loudest microphones, shouting that NASA's astronauts are stranded and that President Trump wants them saved. It's a bombshell thing for the founder of SpaceX, who has become a close adviser to Trump, to say publicly," Berger wrote.

NASA and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment from Ars Technica and other media outlets, leaving many scratching their heads at what the social media posts mean.

"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!!!" Trump's message said.

Musk said, "As soon as possible."

The Crew-9 mission is currently scheduled to come back to Earth in early April. SpaceX's rescue mission depends on the launch of the Crew-10 mission, which SpaceX previously delayed. NASA prefers that there be a certain number of astronauts working at the ISS, meaning the return of Wilmore and Williams won't happen until Crew-10 arrives.

Why It's Important: June's Starliner flight was a historic first for Boeing, but the fact that the astronauts were not able to come home on the same spacecraft has led to questions over whether Boeing will be selected for more NASA missions.

SpaceX could be a big winner from the new Trump administration, with Musk being a close ally of the new president.

Trump also announced that he will nominate Shift4 Payments FOUR founder and CEO Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman has close ties to SpaceX as a customer and collaborator. Isaacman has been to space on multiple privately funded missions, including the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, where he completed a private spacewalk.

Isaacman owns a 30% stake in Shift4, who is an investor in SpaceX, as reported by CNN. Isaacman told Shift4 employees previously that he would "retain the majority" of his investment in the fintech company if he becomes the head of NASA.

Musk and Trump are revisiting Boeing Starliner's troubles, which could further justify awarding future contracts to SpaceX over competitors like Boeing and Blue Origin.

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