President Donald Trump has weighed in on whether NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams should receive additional pay for their unexpectedly long mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronauts finally returned to Earth on Tuesday (18 March), splashing down off the coast of Florida nearly 18 hours after leaving the ISS. Their planned stay had been significantly extended—lasting nine months—due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner capsule that initially transported them to space.
With discussions swirling about whether they would receive compensation for the extra time in orbit, Trump was quick to offer his thoughts.
Trump’s Previous Comments on the Astronauts’ Situation
During their prolonged stay, Trump accused the Biden administration of “abandoning” Wilmore and Williams in space. Elon Musk also claimed he had offered to bring them home earlier—an assertion that both NASA and the astronauts later denied knowledge of.
Speaking at the White House at the time, Trump told reporters: “We have two astronauts stuck in space. I asked Elon, ‘Do me a favor. Can you get them out?’ He said, ‘Yes…’ You shouldn’t have been up there so long.”
Astronaut Pay Controversy
A clip circulating on social media this week shows Trump responding to a reporter’s question about the astronauts’ pay. The reporter noted that, despite their mission being extended by 286 days (nearly 41 weeks), Wilmore and Williams would not receive overtime. According to their calculations, the astronauts should be entitled to around $1,430 in overtime pay.
NASA later confirmed to FOX Business that astronauts only receive standard salaries based on a 40-hour work week while aboard the ISS. They do not receive overtime, weekend, or holiday pay. However, as they are on Temporary Duty (TDY), they receive a daily $5 incidental expense allowance while in space.
When asked whether his administration would do anything about their pay, Trump replied: “Well, nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket, okay? I’ll get it for them.”
He then added: “Is that all? That’s not a lot for what they had to go through.”
Musk’s Role in Bringing Them Back
Trump also took the opportunity to praise Elon Musk, thanking him for SpaceX’s role in providing a capsule to bring the astronauts home.
“Think if we don’t have him,” Trump remarked, acknowledging SpaceX’s contribution to space travel.
He further noted that extended space missions can have serious physical effects on the human body, stating that after nine to ten months, astronauts may begin to experience deterioration in bone density and blood circulation, with even more significant impacts occurring after 14-15 months.
While the astronauts are now safely back on Earth, the debate over fair compensation for their extended mission remains ongoing.
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