Musk calls former ISS commander ‘idiot’ in heated exchange over astronauts – National

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Musk calls former ISS commander ‘******’ in heated exchange over astronauts – National

Elon Musk has been using his social media platform, X, to trade barbs with a European Space Agency astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station (ISS) after the astronaut took exception to Musk’s claims that former U.S. President Joe Biden left two Americans abandoned on the ISS on purpose.

The spat started on X Thursday and continued into Friday, with several other astronauts joining the fray after Danish astronaut Andreas “Andy” Mogensen called out Musk for

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in a Fox News television interview on Tuesday.

When asked about astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose eight-day test flight on Boeing’s Starliner aircraft turned into an eight-month stay aboard the ISS after the Starliner ran into problems, Musk insinuated to Fox that the Biden administration left them in space longer than necessary.

FILE – This image made from a NASA live stream shows NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during a press conference from the International Space Station on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

NASA via AP

“They were left up there for political reasons,” Musk, who owns SpaceX, said.

Story continues below advertisement

Mogensen, taking issue with the billionaire’s claim,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

: “What a lie. And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.”

Things quickly turned ugly, with Musk exploding into rage and called Mogensen an “******” and a derogatory slur.

What a lie.

And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

— Andreas Mogensen (@Astro_Andreas)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

“SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago,” Musk wrote. “I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. ******.”

Musk did not elaborate on his alleged offer.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

0:32
Stranded NASA astronauts’ return to Earth delayed again

Mogensen quickly fired back, saying that while he’s admired Musk in the past, he wouldn’t stand for Musk’s misinformation.

Story continues below advertisement

“You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September,” he wrote, referring to NASA’s plan to fly Wilmore and Williams back to Earth with two current space station crew members.

Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla.

You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home.…— Andreas Mogensen (@Astro_Andreas)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

“Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Musk didn’t respond to Mogensen’s post, but three hours later he called for the end of the ISS.

It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility.

Let’s go to Mars.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

“It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the [Space Station]. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility.”

Story continues below advertisement

“Let’s go to Mars,” he added.

On Friday, retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“I was Commander of the @ISS when Andy, @Astro_Andreas flew his first space mission. He is one of the most competent, trustworthy, and honest people I’ve ever met. This rhetoric is beyond the pale but, sadly, not surprising. He does not deserve this kind of disrespect,” Kelly shared on X.

I was the Commander of the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

when Andy,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

flew his first space mission. He is one of the most competent, trustworthy, and honest people I’ve ever met. This rhetoric is beyond the pale but, sadly, not surprising. He does not deserve this kind of disrespect.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Trending Now

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

‘Can’t take our country’: Trudeau says after Canada’s hockey win over the U.S.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Legault calls Tkachuk brothers ‘shameful’ as hockey, politics clash for 4 Nations final

Musk proceeded to double down, calling Mogensen an “******” again and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

at Kelly’s twin brother, who happens to be an Arizona senator.

“He is an ****** who publicly attacked me, despite having no idea what ACTUALLY happened,” Musk wrote. “Btw, your brother claims to be independent, but is just a Dem donor shill.”

Story continues below advertisement

Yes, he does. He is an ****** who publicly attacked me, despite having no idea what ACTUALLY happened.

Btw, your brother claims to be independent, but is just a Dem donor shill.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Chris Hadfield, the beloved retired ********* astronaut, waded into the mess, too, reposting comments he made regarding Williams and Wilmore last week.

“Suni and Butch have never been ‘stranded’ in space,” Hadfield wrote. “They’re prepared and committed to the mission, like all professional astronauts. Suni’s Space Station commander, they’re doing spacewalks, working hard on behalf of NASA and all partners, having the time of their lives.”

Suni and Butch have never been ‘stranded’ in space. They’re prepared and committed to the mission, like all professional astronauts. Suni’s Space Station commander, they’re doing spacewalks, working hard on behalf of NASA and all partners, having the time of their lives.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Earlier this month, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered Musk to “go get” Williams and Wilmore, NASA announced the pair will arrive back on Earth a little sooner than planned.

Story continues below advertisement

Trump’s call was an unusual intervention by a president into NASA’s meticulously arranged ISS schedule and foisted Wilmore and Williams into an unlikely political spotlight.

The astronauts are among seven currently aboard the ISS, and they remain healthy and busy with routine scientific research aboard the orbiting outpost, NASA has said.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

2:28
NASA says astronauts stuck in space will return on SpaceX capsule — not Boeing Starliner

Previous Video

Next Video

And while the astronauts’ unexpected stay has faced plenty of delays, it’s not unusual for space crews to end up on unexpected extensions. Strenuous, but standard, training prepares astronauts for lengthy stays in space.

“We

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, we don’t feel stuck,” Williams told CNN last week. “Help us change the rhetoric, help us change the narrative. Let’s change it to ‘prepared and committed.’”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

4:19
Grimes speaks out after Musk takes son to White House

Previous Video

Next Video

More on World
More videos

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Musk #calls #ISS #commander #****** #heated #exchange #astronauts #National

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up