NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since launching on Boeing Starliner’s first crewed test flight in June, are setting the record straight: They are not stranded or abandoned.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper, the astronauts responded to claims made by former President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who alleged that they had been left behind due to actions by the Biden administration.

“That has been the narrative from the start—stranded, abandoned, stuck—but that’s not the reality,” Wilmore stated. “We don’t feel abandoned, stuck, or stranded.” He urged a shift in perspective: “Let’s change the narrative to ‘prepared and committed.’ That’s what we prefer.”

Williams echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that they were aware from the beginning that this was a test flight and were prepared for potential delays. “We knew we would probably discover some issues, and we did. That wasn’t a surprise,” she said.

Musk and Trump’s Claims

In January, Musk claimed that the Biden administration had left the astronauts “stranded” and announced that SpaceX would assist in their return. Trump also criticized the situation, stating that Williams and Wilmore had been “virtually abandoned in space.”

However, NASA had already arranged their return as early as August, long before Musk or Trump commented on the matter. The plan involved bringing them back aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, but the departure was delayed in December for additional preparations.

Updated Return Schedule

NASA recently announced that Williams and Wilmore could return earlier than initially planned due to a change in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule designated for the upcoming Crew-10 mission. The revised schedule sets the Crew-10 launch for March 12, with Williams and Wilmore expected to return soon after.

NASA made no indication that this adjustment was influenced by Trump’s statements. Typically, presidential administrations do not directly intervene in space station operations, as crew rotations are managed by NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

Williams and Wilmore, originally expected to stay on the ISS for about a week, became part of the station’s official crew after NASA and Boeing determined that Starliner was not safe for their return due to propulsion and gas leak issues. They are now set to return aboard the Crew Dragon Freedom, which has been stationed at the ISS since September, with two available seats reserved for them.

With the updated launch date for Crew-10, the astronauts’ return could happen earlier than previously expected, as NASA had initially aimed for late March.