NASA Denies Musk’s Claim of Blocked SpaceX Rescue Offer for Stranded Astronauts

New Delhi- NASA’s former deputy administrator Pam Melroy has refuted Elon Musk’s claim that SpaceX’s offer to bring back two U.S. astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) earlier than planned was blocked due to political reasons.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Melroy stated that NASA’s headquarters never received any such proposal from Musk’s company. “An offer to bring the crew home early, it never came to headquarters,” she said.

Musk had alleged on X that officials “flatly refused” his offer to retrieve astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams months ago, claiming the Biden administration opposed it due to his support for former President Donald Trump.

Melroy, however, dismissed these allegations, emphasizing that NASA’s decisions prioritize astronaut safety over politics. She clarified that the decision to return the astronauts on the already scheduled Crew-9 mission in March was made to minimize risks.

NASA initially sent Wilmore and Williams to the ISS in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner for a week-long test mission. However, technical issues delayed their return, leading NASA to opt for their retrieval via SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.

Melroy also noted that NASA prefers “crew handovers,” where new astronauts arrive before the previous crew departs, ensuring continuity in ISS operations and safety.

Neither SpaceX nor the White House have officially commented on the matter.