NASA confirmed on Wednesday that it remains committed to its plan, announced last year, to collaborate with SpaceX in bringing two astronauts back from the International Space Station (ISS) “as soon as practical.” This statement followed President Donald Trump’s remarks the previous day, in which he expressed a desire for a faster return of the crew.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were already set to return aboard a SpaceX capsule in March, following a delay from their initial February schedule. The return was postponed to late March to allow SpaceX time to prepare a new Dragon capsule for the launch of Crew-10, which will replace the departing astronauts. NASA prefers maintaining consistent crew rotations on the ISS to prevent understaffing, ensuring smooth research operations and timely maintenance.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has struggled with engine problems since its initial test flight in June 2024. It’s been repeatedly delayed as engineers worked to fix the issue, and it finally became clear in September that it would be unable to safely transport NASA astronauts to and from the ISS.
In a tweet, Trump suggested that he had spoken directly with Musk and asked the company to expedite the astronauts’ return. The statement was met with skepticism by experts and by those who say NASA is right to be cautious about pushing the space agency into a risky new path with a company that has struggled with previous engineering issues in its other rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
Boeing had previously agreed to delay Williams and Wilmore’s return to give the company time to ensure it had addressed the thruster problem, USA TODAY reports. Despite Trump’s demand, NASA says it has no plans to change the plan or bring them home earlier than March.
NASA has contracted SpaceX to shuttle astronauts to and from the ISS for decades, but it’s taken on an even more important role since the end of the Shuttle program in 2011. The company has won contracts to fly the next generation of spacecraft to the ISS, with the first missions to begin in 2025. The SpaceX Dragon capsules will also transport astronauts on the SLS, which is expected to start flying people to the station in 2027.
As part of the SLS contract, SpaceX is supposed to provide a replacement for the Dragon capsules that will be retiring in 2028. The original Dragons are being upgraded to the next generation, Block 5. SpaceX has not confirmed whether or when the upgrade will be completed. The original SpaceX Dragons will then be used to train astronauts for the next ISS crew and eventually serve as replacements on SLS missions. NASA is also preparing to launch the new Crew-10 in early March. The launch date is based on a delicately coordinated schedule with the ISS, and an early return of the current NASA crew would leave the U.S. contingent understaffed.