Will Sunita Williams return early? Elon Musk to rescue her? Donald Trump sparks confusion over SpaceX vs NASA plan

US President Donald Trump's latest statement on the return of two astronauts "abandoned in space", and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's response to it, have sparked confusion when NASA has already announced plans to bring them home.

Donald Trump said he asked Elon Musk's and SpaceX to “go get” the two NASA astronauts, who have been “abandoned in space” on the International Space Station, as soon as possible.

"I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to “go get” the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!," Donald Trump posted on Truth Social.

Elon Musk shared a screenshot of Donald Trump's post and reacted with a 🫡 (saluting face emoji).

But why Trump's remarks led to confusion?

It’s unclear exactly what Donald Trump and Elon Musk mean — considering the SpaceX spacecraft that NASA has tasked with returning the astronauts is already up in space.

It’s unclear if Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s statements mean Crew-9 will now return prior to Crew-10.

Sunita Williams news: The story so far:

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore had launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June 2024. They were supposed to stay in space for about eight days.

But after Starliner was detected with some faults, NASA decided to return the Boeing spacecraft without its two crew members in September 2024.

NASA had then announced that Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore would return with NASA-Space Crew 9 mission which was launched in late September along with Nick Hague and Aleksandr Grubonov.

Now, NASA said the two astronauts won't be back to Earth until the replacement of Crew 9 mission — which is NASA-SpaceX Crew 10 mission — is not launched to the International Space Station.

NASA uses SpaceX spacecraft for its Commercial Crew Program to transport crews to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

The lift-off of the Crew 10 mission, which was scheduled in February 2025, was delayed to late March 2025. This has pushed back the arrival of the Crew-9 mission, which Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are part of.

NASA has not yet announced the exact date of Sunita William and Butch Wilmore's return to Earth. However, it is expected that the two Starliner astronauts, "stuck" in space, won't return until the end of March or even April because of a delay in launching their replacements.