Thursday briefing: What do Elon Musk and Donald Trump want with space?

The Guardian

20-03-2025

Good morning. Last June, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore embarked on a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, as part of its first crewed test flight. Originally scheduled to spend eight days in space, their mission was dramatically extended due to technical issues with the spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe for their return journey.
After an astonishing 270 days in orbit, accusations that Joe Biden had abandoned them and to much fanfare, Williams and Wilmore finally returned to Earth in Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon capsule, which splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday – where a pod of curious dolphins circled the craft. After routine medical checks to confirm their wellbeing, both astronauts were finally reunited with their families.
For today's newsletter, I spoke to the Guardian's science correspondent, Hannah Devlin, about their long-anticipated return – and how it became so politically charged. That's right after the headlines.
Ukraine | Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a 'very good telephone call' on Wednesday, according to Trump, in the first conversation between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart since their disastrous showdown in the White House three weeks ago.
Middle East | Israeli forces have launched a 'limited ground operation' to retake the Netzarim corridor, a newly widened road protected by fortified bunkers that divides Gaza and is seen as essential to controlling the devastated Palestinian territory.
Politics | Rachel Reeves will announce the biggest spending cuts since austerity at next week's spring statement after ruling out tax rises as a way to close her budget deficit. The chancellor will tell MPs next Wednesday that she intends to cut Whitehall budgets by billions of pounds more than previously expected in a move which could mean reductions of as much as 7% for certain departments over the next four years.
UK news | A 'truly evil' 19-year-old who murdered his mother and two younger siblings as part of a failed plot to become the worst mass murderer in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years. Nicholas Prosper admitted to murdering Juliana Falcon, 48, Kyle Falcon, 16, and Giselle Falcon, 13, last month.
Internet | UK police forces are receiving more than 110 reports of child sextortion attempts every month, according to the National Crime Agency, as a new awareness campaign is launched about the online scourge. The NCA said the use of artificial intelligence in sextortion attacks had also increased 'substantially' over the past three years as criminals adapted their methods.
So what went wrong? How did a short-term test mission end up with two astronauts in space for almost a year? The Boeing Starliner that was supposed to return them experienced helium leaks, a propellant valve that failed to close completely, and a malfunctioning thruster, which is crucial for steering and controlling re-entry. Although the craft successfully docked with the International Space Station and the two astronauts disembarked safely, Nasa lacked full confidence in the Starliner's safety. As a result, despite Boeing's readiness to bring the astronauts back, the agency decided the spacecraft should return empty. 'It was a major setback for Boeing's ambitions in space,' says Hannah. 'The company had been working to develop a parallel programme to SpaceX, offering a commercial service for astronauts travelling to the International Space Station.'
The mission was intended to be the final test flight before Nasa certified Starliner for routine missions, but because of these events its path to certification remains uncertain. 'I think it's a setback for Nasa as well,' Hannah adds, 'because it's in their best interest to maintain a competitive environment, with more than one US company providing that service.'
Not stranded in space
Despite the headlines – and the claims from Donald Trump – Williams and Wilmore have been clear that they were not 'stranded' or forgotten in space. 'This was a test flight. The purpose of the flight was partly to test out this capsule and how it performed, and with any test, you don't know exactly what you're going to get,' Hannah says.
Nevertheless, Trump and Musk have not hesitated to politicise the situation, claiming that former president Joe Biden had abandoned the astronauts and that SpaceX, Musk's company, had heroically rescued them. When a Danish astronaut criticised these claims as baseless, Musk retaliated by calling him 'fully retarded'.
Throughout their mission, there was always a spacecraft attached that could return everyone home in an emergency. Wilmore stated unequivocally: 'We don't feel abandoned, we don't feel stuck, we don't feel stranded.' As many experts have pointed out, astronauts generally want to remain in space for as long as possible– provided they have a way home. 'We came up prepared to stay long, even though we planned to stay short. That's what we do in human spaceflight. That's what your nation's human spaceflight programme is all about,' Wilmore has said.
Once Nasa decided that they would not be returning on the Boeing capsule, the agency chose to incorporate them into the ISS's long-term crew. Given the enormous cost of sending astronauts up and bringing them back, it made sense for Williams and Wilmore to remain onboard, continuing their duties, which included station maintenance and 900 hours of research.
Private space travel
In terms of reliability, private and public space operators tend to encounter similar challenges, the outcome is not necessarily affected by who is running the mission. However, as Hannah points out: 'I think this whole episode has highlighted the extraordinary influence Elon Musk now has in shaping what near-term space exploration looks like.'
Since entering the White House as Trump's closest adviser, Musk has significantly reshaped the agency, shutting down two offices and firing 20 staff. Officials have warned that these cuts will harm Nasa in the long run and make space exploration more expensive. Many have also noted the potential conflict of interest here for Musk, who remains SpaceX's CEO, as SpaceX is Nasa's largest private contractor, with the agency having spent more than $15bn on its services.
Musk has also called for the ISS to be decommissioned as soon as possible. While Nasa had already planned to retire it in five years, the agency had intended to keep astronauts onboard until then – a plan that has now been thrown into doubt. 'The ISS is a rare example of post-Cold War partnership between US, Russia and other nations,' says Hannah. 'It's quite unique in that respect. So I think people do feel that something beyond science will be lost if that's scrapped and not replaced by some sort of equivalent cooperative project.' It should be noted, that on board the shuttle that returned Williams and Wilmore to Earth was a Russian cosmonaut, from Roscosmos, Aleksandr Gorbunov. Now there are warm noises about a Putin/Musk collaboration to reach Mars. Even in the current climate on Earth, cooperation between nations in space continued.
Separately, some of the world's most powerful nations are pursuing their own goals as part of the 21st-century space race. China, is planning to establish long-term research stations on the moon and may even stake territorial claims there. The country has conducted a series of successful space missions, highlighting its rapid advancements in the field. Last year, Nasa admitted that the US and China were effectively in a race to reach the moon. India, meanwhile, has historically maintained a relatively modest space programme budget but has now announced plans to increase funding by 20 to 30% – a sharp contrast to Nasa's recent budget cuts.
A change in direction?
Musk's outsized influence raises questions about the future priorities of human space exploration. Nasa has been focused on returning to the moon with its Artemis programme, but Musk has cast doubt on whether this should proceed. Instead, he insists the focus should be on sending humans to Mars – his longstanding obsession which he says is needed to ensure the survival of the human race. 'Anyone who knows about spaceflight will tell you it's just such a difficult thing to achieve. It's a completely different level of technical complexity – it's hard to state how ambitious it is to get there with humans on the timescale that Musk is proposing,' Hannah says.
While space exploration has always been entangled with international geopolitics, this latest phase of overt politicisation and self-interest 'is something that astronauts themselves are not that comfortable with getting sucked into and being used as a political football', Hannah says.
Even as someone who sat glumly in the red end of Wembley at last weekend's Carabao Cup final, this photo essay of Newcastle United fans savouring their victory over Liverpool and first trophy win in 70 years is a beautiful depiction of the joy football can bring. Sam Coare, newsletters team
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Football | Sonia Bompastor said 'nothing is impossible', after two goals from Vivianne Miedema condemned Chelsea to a first defeat this season and gave Manchester City a two-goal lead going into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Athletics | Eilish McColgan says she is 'numb' to comments on social media about her body shape and warned of the dangers of associating her with eating disorders. The British long-distance runner highlighted the abuse she received this month after posting a video of her on a treadmill in preparation for her first London Marathon. Some comments suggested she had anorexia.
Rugby | The Rugby Football Union chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has threatened to take England away from Twickenham and move to Milton Keynes or Birmingham due to licensing restrictions after missing out on lucrative Beyoncé concerts at the stadium. Sweeney warned Richmond council that 'it would be a tough call for us' to move away from London should the RFU not be granted permission to stage more non-rugby events at Twickenham.
'Biggest cuts since austerity era as Reeves tries to plug budget deficit,' is the splash on the Guardian today, while the i has: 'No new tax hikes next week - but future benefit cuts now likely.'
'Criminals free to pick their own gender,' writes the Telegraph,' as the Daily Mail writes 'Biological sex erased from official data.' The Express highlights Nicholas Prosper with, ''Evil' family killer forced to hear his fate,' and the Metro: 'Stopped on massacre mission.'
'Trump eyes takeover of Ukraine's atomic sites,' writes the Times, as the FT opts for a look at tariffs with: 'Fed slashes growth forecast as Trump tariffs cast shadow over US economy.'
Finally the Mirror, has 'I'd do it all again' on a story about the Tories using a VIP plane during the covid-19 pandemic.
Mahmoud Khalil and Trump's assault on free speech
Detained after taking a leading role in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, the graduate has called himself a political prisoner. Chris McGreal reports.
A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad
After a career fixing roofs and laying bricks, Kelly Sempels is plying a new trade, writes Oliver Balch: 'urban mining', stripping houses marked for demolition of their vital components to be used again. Part of an ambitious project in the Belgian city of Leuven to cut waste and create a 'circular economy', one of the project's sites is a series of two-up-two-down homes the city council has earmarked for demolition to add green space and ease traffic congestion.
Some salvaged objects can be reused like-for-like. When the items are too deteriorated, or where safety regulations don't allow it, then 'downcycling' is the next best option: steel girders being repurposed as scaffolding or roof tiles as a material for internal walls. Rehabilitating people is as important as reusing materials. Across Belgium, initiatives exist to promote a 'social economy' that puts people over profits. 'Mostly, we work with people who are longtime unemployed, lower-schooled, and have a lot of issues outside work,' says Patrick Wauters, employment coordinator at Wonen en Werken, the social enterprise delivering the scheme. 'Sure, many have their problems, but they also have their capabilities.'
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