President Donald Trump, while signing executive orders Thursday in the Oval Office, vowed to bring home two NASA astronauts who have been stuck in space for eight months.
“Elon [Musk] is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them,” the president told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy. “We love you, and we’re coming up to get you, and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.”
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stranded at the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had technical issues.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were the flight crew on Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which experienced a series of technical issues. (NASA)
NASA ASTRONAUTS NOT ‘FRETTING’ OVER EXTENDED MISSION, ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR MORE TIME IN SPACE AFTER STARLINER WOES
Their mission began June 5, 2024, and was only scheduled to last eight days.
Due to numerous issues with the spacecraft, NASA deemed it unsafe to carry the astronauts back to Earth.
It returned to the planet unmanned.
BOEING’S STARLINER SPACECRAFT LANDS BACK ON EARTH WITHOUT A CREW
One of the astronauts recently confirmed former President Joe Biden declined an offer of help from Musk, SpaceX CEO, the New York Post reported.
Trump on Thursday said Biden “left them alone” in space because he was “embarrassed by what happened.”
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas, Feb. 10, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
BOEING STARLINER UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION, HEADS TO EARTH UNMANNED AS CREW STAYS BEHIND
He continued, “The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this president won’t let that happen.”
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams during NASA’s live shot of their takeoff on June 5, 2024 (NASA)
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch on Wednesday to head to the space station, then return home with Wilmore and Williams after a handover period of several days, NASA said.
Trump later joked with Doocy about partaking in the mission.
“Should I go on that journey just to be on the ship when we stop?” the president asked Doocy.
Doocy responded, “If that’s an option, yes.”
NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY
Astronaut Suni Williams does a backflip as Butch Wilmore gives a thumbs-up while in space. (NASA)
“I should do it,” Trump replied with a laugh. “That’s terrible. I thought he liked me.”
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Another reporter chimed in saying the president should stay on Earth, to which Trump responded, “She likes me better.”
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
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