"Promise Made, Promise Kept": White House Comments on Sunita Williams' Return

 

"Promise Made, Promise Kept": White House Comments on Sunita Williams' Return

In January, President Trump requested that SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk "retrieve" the two astronauts and bring them home. The White House announced that President Donald Trump had vowed to "rescue" NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were "stuck" in space, and he has fulfilled that commitment. The astronauts safely returned to Earth early in the morning at 3:27 AM IST. On the platform X, previously known as Twitter, the White House posted a video showcasing the moment SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft landed in the waters off Florida. They referred to it as "NASA astronauts returning to Earth after being in space for nine months."

In the same message, the White House highlighted President Trump’s success in keeping his word. "Promise made, promise kept: President Trump committed to saving the astronauts who were trapped in space for nine months. Today, they made a safe landing in the Gulf of America, with thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!"

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore took part in NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test, launching into space on June 5 the previous year. They embarked on an eight-day mission to the ISS. However, on June 6, as the Starliner was nearing the space station, NASA and Boeing discovered helium leaks and encountered problems with the spacecraft's reaction control thrusters. Consequently, the Starliner was returned to Earth without the astronauts onboard.

Later in August, it was determined to assign the two astronauts to SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. They teamed up with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Today marks the return of the Crew-9 team to Earth after more than nine months in space.

How Musk and Trump Collaborated for Sunita Williams' Return

Earlier this year, on January 28, President Trump stated he had requested Elon Musk and SpaceX to "retrieve" the two courageous astronauts "who have been essentially left behind in space by the Biden Administration."

Musk conveyed information about their discussion on social media, indicating that President Trump asked him to ensure the prompt return of the two Boeing Starliner astronauts, who have been at the space station since June 2024. 

The CEO of SpaceX described it as "terrible" that the Biden administration "allowed them to remain there for such an extended period."