Musk’s Astronaut Spat Over Sunita Williams

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

• Elon Musk and astronaut Andreas Mogensen clashed on Twitter over Sunita Williams.
• Musk called Mogensen an “idiot,” and Mogensen accused Musk of lying.
• The dispute centers on delays in the return of Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from space.
• Trump accused Biden of abandoning astronauts in space for political reasons.
• Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore went to the ISS in June 2023 on a Boeing Starliner.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and astronaut Andreas Mogensen got into a spat on X over Sunita Williams. Musk called former ISS commander Andreas Mogensen an “idiot” after Mogensen called out Musk for claiming that Joe Biden abandoned Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in space for “political reasons.” This dispute involving Elon Musk is going viral on social media.

US President Donald Trump tasked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with bringing astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back from space. The matter led to a heated exchange on Thursday between Musk and Danish astronaut Andreas ‘Andy’ Mogenson on X. Mogenson, who is the former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), challenged Musk’s assertion that Williams and Wilmore were abandoned in space by former US President Joe Biden. The delay in Sunita Williams’ return is the main reason for this dispute.

Mogensen, 48, shared a clip on X of a joint interview to Fox News by Musk and Trump, in which the SpaceX CEO alleged that Williams and Wilmore – who have been aboard the ISS for nearly 300 days – were abandoned by Biden due to “political reasons.” Mogensen strongly objected to this accusation.

“What a lie. And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media,” Mogensen wrote on the social media platform. Musk countered by calling the ex-ISS commander an “idiot.” This further escalated the conflict.

Tesla CEO Musk responded, “You are fully retarded. SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago. I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. Idiot.” Musk’s statement added fuel to the fire.

Mogensen, a European Space Agency astronaut, has flown to the ISS twice, including aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule during a 2023 mission. Responding to Musk’s comment, 48-year-old astronaut Mogensen accused Musk of delaying Williams and Wilmore’s rescue mission.

Mogensen tweeted, “Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla. You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.” This tweet sparked a flood of reactions on social media.

During the Fox News interview, Trump asked Musk when the tech billionaire would be bringing the astronauts back. To this, the SpaceX CEO replied, “I think it’s about four weeks to bring them back.” The 78-year-old President chimed in to jab Biden, saying the ex-President was going to “leave them (astronauts) in space” because he “didn’t want the publicity.”

This is not the first time that Trump has accused Biden of abandoning astronauts in space. Last month, after making a similar claim, the US President said on Truth Social that he has tasked SpaceX to bring them home “as soon as possible.” He tweeted, “Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

Butch Wilmore and Indian-origin Sunita Williams flew to the ISS in June last year onboard a Boeing Starliner for a mission that was supposed to last eight days to certify the new spaceship. But due to thruster issues, NASA decided that Starliner would return without the astronauts, whose return was then tasked to SpaceX. Sunita Williams’ safety is NASA’s priority.

Later, the space agency announced that Williams and Wilmore would return on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission’s spaceship, which was launched in September last year with a crew of two instead of four to accommodate them. After being initially scheduled to return in February, the astronauts will now return to earth on March 19.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

• Dispute between Elon Musk and astronaut over Sunita Williams.
• Musk called Mogensen an “idiot,” Mogensen accused Musk of lying.
• The dispute is due to the delay in Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return from space.
• Trump accused Biden of abandoning astronauts for political reasons.
• Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will return to Earth on March 19.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

See Full Bio