On January 28th, local time, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and US President Trump successively announced that they would take action to retrieve the two American astronauts stranded on the International Space Station.

Elon Musk said on social media platform X, "President Trump has asked SpaceX to take action as soon as possible to bring home the two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station, and we will take action as soon as possible."

Trump posted on his social platform "Real Social" that he had just asked Musk and SpaceX to pick up the American astronauts stranded on the International Space Station. They have been staying on the space station for several months. Trump said: "Elon will be moving soon. Hope everything is safe. Good luck, Elon!!!"

According to a report on the US "People" magazine website on January 28th, 59-year-old Suni Williams and 61-year-old Butch Wilmore boarded the Boeing "Starliner" spacecraft that carried out its first manned mission on June 5th, 2024. It was launched into space and flew to the International Space Station on June 6th.

The "Starliner" was originally scheduled to leave the International Space Station and return to Earth on June 14th, but due to a series of failures, the return time was repeatedly delayed, and was eventually forced to return alone without astronauts on board. Two astronauts have been stranded on the International Space Station to this day.

According to NASA, the two will return to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in 2025. After delays, the launch of this spacecraft is currently tentatively scheduled for the end of March 2025.

US media reported that Williams said on the 27th when communicating with high school students in her hometown of Needham that they were "a little shocked" by the long time spent in space.

Mission Impossible: Commercial Aerospace Pressure Test Reveals Fatal Injuries

The rescue of the SpaceX Dragon is on the surface a victory for commercial aerospace, but in fact it forces Musk into a strategic dilemma:

Technical cliff: The first emergency International Space Station rescue must be achieved without errors

Political tie-up: Trump has said that "this is a national mission". If fails, Elon may face review of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Moral dilemma: If it succeeds, it will completely destroy Boeing and deepen SpaceX's monopoly; if fails, it will shake the foundation of commercial aerospace.