Elon Musk Labels Renowned Astronaut Andreas Mogensen an ‘Idiot’ Following Accusations of ‘Lying’ About Stranded Astronauts | World News
Elon Musk recently engaged in a tense discussion with renowned astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who accused Musk of dishonesty regarding claims that two NASA astronauts had been “abandoned” in space.
During a pre-recorded interview with US President Donald Trump on Fox News, Mr. Musk asserted that the astronauts had been “left up there for political reasons” – a statement Mr. Mogensen vehemently called a “lie”.
The SpaceX CEO claimed that he was striving to “speed up” the return of NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams from the International Space Station (ISS) at the president’s “directive”.
Elon Musk. File pic: AP
Read more about the stranded astronauts:
How they ended up stuck in space and potential pathways home
Mr. Musk, who also heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a consultative body under the Trump administration, criticized the delay in the astronauts’ return as being “postponed to an absurd degree”.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump blamed former President Joe Biden, stating: “They got left in space”.
Dutch astronaut Andreas Mogensen shared a snippet of the Fox News interview on X and remarked: “What a lie.
“And from someone who complains about the dishonesty of the mainstream media.”
Andreas Mogensen. File pic: Reuters
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Mr. Musk countered by labeling the astronaut an “idiot”.
“SpaceX could have returned them several months ago,” Mr. Musk tweeted.
“I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration but they declined. Their return was delayed for political motives. Idiot.”
Mr. Mogensen responded, stating: “Elon, I have long admired you and your achievements, particularly at SpaceX and Tesla.
“You are aware, as am I, that Butch and Suni are set to return with Crew-9, which has been the plan since last September.
“Even now, you are not dispatching a rescue vessel to bring them home. They will return on the Dragon capsule that has been stationed at the ISS since last September.”
There were no further comments from Mr. Musk.
Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams, who have been aboard the ISS since June 2024, initially intended a space mission lasting only eight days but became stranded on the station due to problems with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
Their anticipated return in February was pushed back yet again in December due to delays with the SpaceX rocket designated for their pickup.
They are expected to return to Earth next month.
