SpaceX launches astronauts for long-awaited International Space Station crew swap

SpaceX crew launches to the ISS have become routine, but this mission has been hotly anticipated because of how Williams and Wilmore got to the station in the first place — and because SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has blamed their prolonged stay on former President Joe Biden.

The duo was part of the first crewed launch of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft last June. The test mission was supposed to be a crucial milestone in Boeing’s quest to compete with SpaceX for these types of crewed launches to the ISS.

Starliner was supposed to dock with the ISS for 10 days before returning Williams and Wilmore to Earth. But the spacecraft experienced leaks and thruster problems, which delayed Starliner from docking with the ISS.

Starliner eventually coupled with the station and the astronauts were able to board. But Boeing and NASA spent weeks performing testing and analysis before they decided in August to bring Starliner back to Earth empty.

NASA and SpaceX agreed to bring the astronauts home on the next crewed mission to the ISS, Crew-9. They bumped two astronauts off that flight to accommodate the return of Williams and Wilmore. A return flight was slated for February 2025; an earlier flight would have left the ISS understaffed, according to NASA.

While Williams and Wilmore have been aboard the ISS, though, Musk helped Donald Trump get elected for a second time and launched his Department of Government Efficiency. Musk started saying — both on X and in interviews — that he offered to bring the astronauts back earlier but that Biden refused because of political reasons.

Musk has not provided any evidence to support this claim. NASA’s former administrator and deputy administrator under Biden have both said that no offer from Musk made it to the space agency’s headquarters.