A spokesperson with NASA, which oversees SpaceX’s flights to the ISS, said “NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions.”

Posts by President Trump and Elon Musk roiled the space community, raising the prospect of an earlier-than-planned return for the Starliner crew.

"NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions," Cheryl Warner, NASA's news chief at the agency's headquarters, said in a statement to reporters.

Two NASA astronauts flew to the International Space Station in June on Boeing's Starliner capsule. The test flight was planned for eight days but technical troubles forced the capsule to return empty.

President Donald Trump struck a deal for the replacement aircraft during his first term. Boeing is working with Trump advisor Elon Musk on ways to deliver delayed, overbudget Air Force One replacements sooner, CEO Kelly Ortberg said Tuesday.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said President Trump has asked the company to bring home the two NASA astronauts from Boeing’s Starliner mission on board the ISS “as soon as possible.”

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams embarked on a mission to the International Space Station in 2024 with a timeline that has been anything but straightforward.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Elon Musk's company SpaceX will soon begin a mission to repatriate two American astronauts who have been stranded for months on

While Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore’s situation is unusual, their return trip will be pretty routine, as they were already slated to fly home on a SpaceX capsule as part of a scheduled crew rotation.

A new earnings report painted a grim picture of Boeing’s finances. Can it recover while under scrutiny from Trump and Musk?

SpaceX and NASA reinforce mission assurance, ensuring safe ISS crew retrieval as Boeing’s Starliner faces setbacks. Learn about their critical partnership