White House Blames Biden's 'Lack Of Courage And Urgency' For NASA Astronauts' Extended Stay In Space

The NASA astronauts were stuck at the International Space Station for almost nine months and managed to finally secure their return to Earth on Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after being stuck at the ISS for 286 days.

Source : Twitter - NASA

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the Joe Biden administration's "lack of courage and urgency" as the reason behind NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore being stranded in space.

The NASA astronauts were stuck at the International Space Station for almost nine months and managed to finally secure their return to Earth on Wednesday. They were launched from their Boeing Starliner spacecraft in June 2024 for an eight-day mission, but they had to stay back at the ISS when the spacecraft encountered technical issues, which prompted NASA to decide that it was unsafe for them to return to Earth.

On Tuesday, Williams and Wilmore parachuted down to Earth, and splashed off the coast of Florida after NASA SpaceX's Crew-10 mission was launched to the ISS. Leavitt credited President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for the astronaut's return and hailed them for their efforts to ensure the astronauts' safe return to Earth. 

"These two incredible astronauts were only supposed to be up there for eight days, but because of the Biden administration's lack of urgency, they ended up spending nine months in space," press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday at the White House, Fox News reported.

"Joe Biden's lack of courage to act boldly and decisively was a big reason why Butch and Suni did not make it back until yesterday. But President Trump doesn't waste time," she added.

Leavitt further said that after assuming office in January, Trump directed SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk to chalk out a plan for the astronauts' rescue in collaboration with NASA.  

Musk Lauds SpaceX For Successful Return Of NASA Astronauts

Following the astronauts' return, Musk congratulated the SpaceX team and NASA for successfully rescuing the Crew-9 and also thanked Trump for prioritising the mission.

"Thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA, the astronauts are now safely home," Musk said on Tuesday during an interview. "And so congratulations to the SpaceX NASA teams on excellent work," he added.  

In a previous interview, Musk, who heads the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said that he had offered to work with the Biden administration to plan the return of the NASA astronauts, but said his offer was rejected for "political reasons."