Elon Musk gets destroyed by astronauts on Twitter after controversial claims about political reasons for their ISS stay.
Elon Musk has once again stirred controversy, this time engaging in a heated online dispute with astronauts after claiming that two NASA crew members were stranded on the International Space Station “for political reasons.”
The conflict erupted after Musk made the assertion during a pre-taped Fox News interview with President Donald Trump, where he implied that the Biden administration deliberately delayed the return of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. The two astronauts have been aboard the ISS since June 2024 after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft experienced technical failures.
“They were left up there for political reasons,” Musk alleged, suggesting that their extended stay wasn’t due to safety concerns but rather political maneuvering by the Biden administration.
Musk’s comments were met with swift backlash from members of the spaceflight community. European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who previously flew to the ISS aboard a SpaceX rocket, was one of the first to challenge Musk’s claim.
“What a lie,” Mogensen posted on X. “And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.”
Musk quickly fired back, escalating the exchange. “Retard … SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago,” he responded. “I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. Idiot.”
Mogensen, however, refuted the claim, reminding Musk that the astronauts’ return with NASA’s Crew-9 mission had been planned since September 2024. “Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home,” Mogensen pointed out. “They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.”
Other prominent figures in the space community joined the debate. Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who commanded the ISS, defended Mogensen and criticized Musk’s rhetoric. “Andreas is one of the most competent, trustworthy, and honest people I’ve ever met,” Kelly wrote. “This rhetoric is beyond the pale but, sadly, not surprising.”
Musk responded with another personal attack, this time aimed at Scott Kelly’s twin brother, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. “Btw, your brother claims to be independent, but is just a Dem donor shill,” Musk wrote.
Mark Kelly, also a former astronaut, clapped back: “Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us.”
Amid Elon Musk getting destroyed by astronauts on Twitter (X) , multiple Community Noted were applied to his tweets, which led to him claiming that Community Notes are compromised and need to be ‘fixed’, despite no evidence being provided.
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