Elon Musk recently made headlines with a bold claim: SpaceX is stepping in to rescue two “stranded” astronauts. In a post on X, the SpaceX CEO claimed the Biden Administration had left astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore stuck on the International Space Station (ISS), and that former President Donald Trump had asked SpaceX to bring them home. But here’s the twist – NASA already had a plan in place for their return.

Williams and Wilmore, who piloted Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS in June 2024, were initially supposed to return on the same craft. However, technical issues, including helium leaks and propulsion problems, forced NASA to rethink their plan. Last August, the agency decided SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission would bring the astronauts home.

So, why the drama? Musk’s post on X suggested the Biden Administration had neglected the astronauts, but NASA has been working on their safe return for months. The Crew-9 capsule is docked at the ISS, and the astronauts are expected to return home in late March or early April – a timeline that’s been in place since December.

NASA officials have repeatedly clarified that Williams and Wilmore were never truly “stranded.” Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, emphasized that the astronauts always had a way to return to Earth, whether on Starliner or SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

During a recent interview from the ISS, Williams and Wilmore seemed in good spirits. “We have plenty of clothes. We are well fed,” Wilmore said. Williams added, “It’s just a great team... it doesn’t feel like we’re castaways.”

While their mission has been longer than expected – they’ve been on the ISS for over seven months – extended stays in space aren’t unusual. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, spent 371 days on the ISS in 2023.

So, while Musk’s claim sparked headlines, the reality is less dramatic. Williams and Wilmore’s return home was always part of the plan – just not the one Musk made it sound like.