Musk, White House credit Trump for Sunita Williams, Butch Willmore's return

As astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore returned safely to Earth after nine months, reactions have now started pouring in, congratulating the two astronauts.

 

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief and SpaceX founder Elon Musk took to X to congratulate Nasa (full form) and SpaceX, whose spacecraft brought back the astronauts. He wrote, "Congratulations to the SpaceX and Nasa teams for another safe astronaut return! Thank you to Donald Trump for prioritising this mission!"

 

Along with Musk, the White House also commented on the successful completion of the mission and accredited this feat to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their efforts in bringing the astronauts back safely. The White House in a post on X wrote, "PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!" 

 

While Musk's SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule ensured the return of the two astronauts, Donald Trump prioritised the mission after taking charge of the Oval Office in January. 

 

Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for the delay in returning the two astronauts to Earth. They had been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) for months on a mission that was supposed to last eight days. 

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin also reacted to Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore's homecoming. He took to X and wrote, "Congratulations to SpaceX for bringing back NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams following their unexpected, extended mission aboard the Space Station! These astronauts’ steady poise and professionalism over the last several months will be commended. We’re glad to have you home! "