This decision forced some crew shuffling; NASA had to take two astronauts off the originally four-person Crew-9 launch to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the downward leg. (Both Starliner astronauts are in good health on the ISS, and there are plenty of supplies to support them through the end of their stay, NASA officials have said.)

President Donald Trump says he’s told Elon Musk to retrieve two astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station for months longer than expected. It’s unclear precisely what the plan is,

While Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s situation is unusual, their return trip will be pretty routine, as they were already slated to fly home on a SpaceX capsule as part of a scheduled crew rotation.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said President Trump has asked the company to bring home the two NASA astronauts from Boeing’s Starliner mission on board the ISS “as soon as possible.”

President Donald Trump has ordered Elon Musk and SpaceX to “go get” astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. The pair have been at the ISS since June 2024 due to an issue with the Boeing Starliner. Trump and Musk have bizarrely opted to blame the previous administration for the delay in returning the astronauts home.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday night he had asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to return two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station, who were already scheduled to fly back on a SpaceX capsule in March.

Posts by President Trump and Elon Musk roiled the space community, raising the prospect of an earlier-than-planned return for the Starliner crew.