Did Boeing Fail? Astronauts Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore Reflect on 9-Month ISS Delay

NASA astronauts returned home after a prolonged mission due to Boeing’s Starliner malfunction. They thank Trump and Elon Musk, but stress the challenges of human spaceflight over blame games.

April 1, 2025: New Delhi – NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, recently back from a prolonged nine-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS), addressed questions about the malfunction of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which delayed their return to Earth.

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In an interview with Fox News, both astronauts expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for facilitating their safe return aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule on March 18. The mission, originally planned as a short crew flight test, was extended due to technical issues with Starliner.

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“Spaceflight is Hard”

Asked directly whether Boeing “screwed up”, Wilmore avoided assigning blame.

“In certain respects, we were stuck… maybe even stranded. But we were trained, we were prepared, and we were never forgotten,” Wilmore said, emphasizing that contingency planning is part of every space mission.

Sunita Williams echoed the sentiment, saying they had prepared for a long-duration stay even though the mission was planned to be short.

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“We trained for everything—science, maintenance, robotics, spacewalks… that’s the nature of human spaceflight. You plan for one thing, but you prepare for everything.”

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“Not About Blame, But Lessons Learned”

Wilmore admitted there were shortcomings on all sides, including within his own command role as mission commander.

“There were things I didn’t ask, things I didn’t know I should’ve asked. That’s on me too. Boeing, NASA—we all had a role in what happened. There were missed signals, missed preparations.”

“Let’s not point fingers. Let’s learn, improve, and move forward,” he added, calling for a constructive approach rather than a retrospective blame game.

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Political Angle: Trump vs Biden

The astronauts’ delayed return was politically charged. President Donald Trump previously claimed that President Joe Biden had “abandoned” the astronauts in space, and took credit for personally authorizing Elon Musk to bring them home via SpaceX.

While neither astronaut commented on the political debate directly, their remarks clearly acknowledged Musk and the broader team supporting their return.

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What Went Wrong With Starliner?

Boeing’s Starliner—part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program—was being tested for human spaceflight capabilities. The mission, called CFT (Crew Flight Test), faced systemic malfunctions that made a return to Earth impossible until alternate arrangements were made.

The issue further highlights the intense technical and logistical challenges of modern spaceflight, especially when deploying new vehicles and technologies.

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Sunita Williams Boeing, Butch Wilmore interview, Boeing Starliner failure, NASA Crew-9 mission, Elon Musk SpaceX rescue, Trump astronauts statement, ISS Starliner malfunction, SpaceX Dragon return, Sunita Williams Trump, Boeing space mission issues, NASA spaceflight training