Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on an unexpectedly monthslong assignment after serving on Boeing’s Starliner crewed test flight, are conducting a spacewalk Thursday. The duo is venturing outside the International Space Station to remove degraded radio communications hardware.

"NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions," Cheryl Warner, NASA's news chief at the agency's headquarters, said in a statement to reporters.

The astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station aboard the Boeing Starliner are in good health, a NASA spokesperson has said, dismissing fake online reports of their death. The false narrative also includes false quotes attributed to Elon Musk.

Commander Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to perform maintenance work and wipe the International Space Station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that may still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents.

In a post on X Tuesday, Musk blamed former president Biden and his administration for the delay in the astronauts' return.

NASA has stated that it is working 'expeditiously' with SpaceX to bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as possible. Their much-anticipated return became a focal point after US President Donald Trump asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to rescue the duo.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday evening, vowing vow to bring the NASA pilots home after being stranded in space since the summer.

Solution from Near Earth Autonomy promises to save time and money for airlines while improving safety for personnel.

President Donald Trump asked billionaire Elon Musk to “go get” two astronauts that have been aboard the International Space Station since June 2024, claiming the Biden administration had “virtually abandoned” them even though NASA has said for months it plans to bring them home soon.

SpaceX would have to gear up for another astronautical mission as the founder Elon Musk vowed to bring back the 'abandoned' astronauts.Musk turned to his X on Wednesday, disclosing the plans to bring back the two astronauts that were left

Despite the statement from President Trump, NASA had already scheduled the astronauts' return for late March or April.