NASA's Starliner astronauts were initially set to spend eight days on the International Space Station (ISS) after their arrival in June 2024. However, their stay unexpectedly stretched to almost a year, keeping them in space while a political debate unfolded back on Earth.

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Last month, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the Starliner astronauts were kept in space “for political reasons.” His comment sparked disagreement with many people in the space community.

Elon Musk faced criticism after he insulted Andreas Mogensen, a Danish astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), on X. The argument started when Mogensen accused Musk of lying, leading to a tense and unpleasant exchange.

According to reports from online media outlet "Interesting Engineering", many space fans and reporters admire Elon Musk for his work with SpaceX, but they also feel frustrated and confused by his behavior in public.

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Could Musk’s actions push away key partners in the space industry? Is his behaviour affecting SpaceX’s work? Here’s what we know.

Musk criticises former ISS Commander

On February 20, former ISS commander Andreas Mogensen shared a video on X from an interview between Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Fox News.

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In the video, Musk talked about the Starliner astronauts who have been on the ISS for nine months. He suggested they were kept there because of politics.

Mogensen shared the clip and commented, "That's not true. And this comes from someone who often criticises the mainstream media for not being honest."

Musk didn’t react well to the criticism. He insulted Mogensen and said, “SpaceX could have brought them back months ago. I personally offered this to the Biden administration, but they said no. The delay was because of politics.”

Many space reporters and experts were surprised by Musk’s comments. For months, journalists have warned against exaggerated claims that NASA’s Starliner astronauts are "stuck" in space.

Even though Musk is part of NASA’s internal discussions, many people doubted his claims. NASA and the Starliner astronauts have repeatedly said they are not "stranded."

Are the Starliner astronauts actually stuck in space?

NASA first planned for the Starliner astronauts to stay on the ISS for just eight days. But they have now been in space for about nine months.

It's important to remember that delays and longer missions are normal in human space travel.

Musk is well aware of this. As the CEO of SpaceX, he has dealt with many delayed launches in the Falcon 9 and Starship programmes.

In a live broadcast from the ISS this month, Starliner astronaut Butch Wilmore said he was ready for the extended stay. "We were prepared for a long mission, even though the plan was for a short one," he explained, according to Interesting Engineering.

The human spaceflight programme is all about preparing for the unknown and handling unexpected situations. "And we did that," Butch said.

Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been in space for nearly 300 days. However, this isn't a record. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio holds the longest stay on the ISS, spending 371 days in a row.

The Starliner astronauts have made it clear that they don’t feel abandoned. During the same live broadcast from the ISS, Wilmore responded to comments from Trump and Musk, saying, "That’s just politics—it’s part of life. For me, politics hasn’t influenced this mission at all."

In a February interview with CBS, Starliner astronaut Suni Williams dismissed claims that she felt stranded. "We’re part of something bigger—the International Space Station," she said. "So no, we don’t feel abandoned."

NASA officials deny Starliner 'rescue' claims

NASA officials working with the ISS crew have also denied the claims made by Musk and Trump.

During a teleconference on March 7, Steve Stich, who leads NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said that after reviewing all the options, the current plan was the best choice.

Even though Trump said the Starliner astronauts were "abandoned," a plan to bring Williams and Wilmore back was already in place before he became president.

In September 2024, NASA decided to send only two astronauts on its Crew-9 mission instead of four. This allowed Williams and Wilmore to come back when Crew-9 finished its mission in February.

Stich explained that for Crew-9, they sent two open seats and a suit for Butch while also making sure the seats were properly adjusted for both Butch and Suni to bring them back safely.

But since Crew-10's launch was delayed, Crew-9 and the Starliner astronauts also had to wait longer to return.

NASA has explained many times that its decision was based on crew schedules and upcoming missions. During a teleconference on March 7, Ken Bowersox, a top NASA official, said this is usually how they make their decisions.

The teams make decisions based on what works best for their programs, both practically and technically. NASA leaders also review these plans, and in this case, they believed the chosen plan was the best option.

Musk's bold timelines

Musk insists that those accusing him of lying weren’t there. He says if they had been, they would have seen Biden Administration officials turn down his plan to bring Williams and Wilmore back. However, Musk has a history of making claims that aren’t always true or backed by facts.

Interestingly, X’s Grok AI identified Musk as the biggest source of false information on the platform. Even before he bought Twitter (now called X), Musk was known for making big promises that often didn’t happen.

Back in 2019, Musk said Tesla would have a million self-driving "robotaxis" on the roads by 2020. However, that still hasn’t happened.

Last year, Musk said that 1,000 Tesla Optimus robots would be working in U.S. factories. The year isn’t over yet, but even his fans know to be skeptical of his promises.

Even Tesla’s own employees have admitted that Musk often exaggerates. In 2021, he claimed Tesla cars would reach full self-driving (level 5) by the end of the year. However, a leaked company memo revealed that his team disagreed, saying, “Elon’s tweet does not match engineering reality.” At that time, Tesla’s self-driving was only at level 2, and four years later, it still hasn’t reached level 5.

Bold claims, controversy, and misinformation

In 2018, Musk made headlines for insulting cave diver "Vernon Unsworth," who played a key role in rescuing 12 children trapped in a cave in Thailand. Musk called him "pedo guy" (short for "pedophile guy"), a  that sparked widespread criticism.

A  pedophile is a person who has a sexual attraction to children. It is a very serious accusation and can damage a person’s reputation.

Musk's insult was a reaction, just like his response to Mogensen. He made the comment after Unsworth criticized his efforts to build a small submarine for the rescue, calling it just a "PR stunt."

This was one of the first well-known times Musk made a public claim without solid proof.

Unsworth lost the defamation case against Musk. In court, Musk’s lawyers argued that his comment was just an insult and not meant to be taken seriously as a fact.

After the verdict, Mark Stephens, Unsworth’s lawyer in the UK, said it was unfortunate that a powerful billionaire had such a big influence. Musk’s lawyers won the case by arguing that his comment was just an insult and wasn’t meant to be taken as a true statement.

Musk frequently makes bold statements on X, claiming he is just using his right to free speech. However, many people have criticized him for not being consistent with his "free speech absolutism." For example, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has accused Musk of banning well-known figures from X if they openly disagree with him.

Is Musk’s behaviour affecting SpaceX’s work?

While Musk appears to be focusing most of his energy on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), SpaceX’s Starship upper-stage rocket has failed its last two test flights.

Some experts believe that Musk’s absence from SpaceX’s Starbase headquarters in southern Texas might be slowing down the Starship program.

Some experts say the setbacks are just because spaceflight is incredibly difficult. Ars Technica senior editor Eric Berger suggested that the issues might not be due to Musk’s absence but rather SpaceX’s intense work culture.

Some people believe the challenges are simply because spaceflight is very difficult. Ars Technica senior editor Eric Berger suggested that the problems might be less about Musk not being there and more about SpaceX’s demanding work environment.

Some people have a more critical view. Seth Abramson, who is working on a biography of Musk, believes that Musk’s unpredictable behavior could have far-reaching effects beyond just the Starship program.

Abramson shared on X that he believes Musk is not mentally stable enough to be involved in government. He also claimed that Musk’s actions, both publicly and privately, are leading to lost lives, jobs, and harm to the U.S.’s reputation. “He is unwell, and we can all see it,” Abramson wrote.

Walter Isaacson, who wrote an authorized biography of Elon Musk, recently shared his thoughts with the New York Times. He described Musk as a highly skilled and determined entrepreneur who has helped shape some of the most important companies of our time.

However, he also tends to show little empathy for those around him, and his impulsive actions have made people question how he handles his great power.

The SpaceX CEO has a lot of power when responding to criticism. In 2022, hundreds of SpaceX employees signed an open letter expressing their disappointment with Musk’s public behavior.

Those employees were later fired. Last month, not long after insulting Mogensen for accusing him of lying, Musk urged Trump to shut down the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as possible.

Musk has helped bring new energy to the space industry with SpaceX. However, his impulsive behavior and immense influence are serious reasons for concern.

(Girish Linganna is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also the Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. He can be reached at: [email protected] ).

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)