Elon Musk vs. Danish astronaut: Astronomical clash over Wilmore and Williams' return from space

Elon Musk found himself in a heated exchange with Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen after the latter criticised Musk's assertion that former United States President Joe Biden deliberately abandoned two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station for political reasons.

The assertion, which Musk made in a Fox News interview alongside United States President Donald Trump, suggested that the Biden administration had abandoned the astronauts and that SpaceX could have rescued them months ago.

This accusation quickly drew the attention of Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, a European Space Agency veteran, who called Musk's statement a blatant lie in a post on X. Musk fired back aggressively in another post on X, escalating the online clash.

Wilmore and Williams launched to the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing's Starliner for what was supposed to be an eight-day test mission. But the spacecraft suffered multiple technical issues, including thruster malfunctions and helium leaks, forcing NASA to leave it docked at the station without its crew.

Since then, the plan has always been for the two astronauts to return on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, a decision made long before Musk's recent outburst. The original timeline for their return was February 2025, but delays in SpaceX's preparation for Crew-10 pushed it to mid-March.

Despite Musk's claims, there is no public record of SpaceX offering a faster alternative for their return, and NASA officials have consistently stated that the delay is logistical, not political. For now, the two astronauts remain aboard the International Space Station as they await their long-overdue return home.