According to reports from media outlets such as NBC, four astronauts, including American astronauts Wilmore and Williams, who were stranded on the International Space Station due to a malfunction of the StarCraft spacecraft, returned to Earth on the 18th Eastern Time aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The spacecraft splashed down in the waters near Florida.

On the 18th local time, the White House posted on social platform X, stating, "Make a promise, keep the promise: President Trump promised to rescue astronauts stranded in space for 9 months. The White House also mentioned that the spacecraft carrying these astronauts safely splashed down on the 18th and expressed gratitude to NASA, SpaceX, and its founder Elon Musk. Wilmore and Williams flew to the International Space Station in June last year aboard an "interstellar passenger plane" to carry out the spacecraft's first manned test flight mission. Due to spacecraft malfunction, two astronauts were stranded on the International Space Station for over 9 months.

On June 5th last year, Boeing's "Starliner" spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida, embarking on its first manned test flight mission, carrying Wilmore and Williams to the International Space Station. However, shortly after launch, the spacecraft revealed many problems. The propulsion system of the spacecraft showed signs of helium leakage, and although measures were taken to prevent the leak, some components still failed. Afterwards, there were multiple small helium leaks in the spacecraft service module, as well as malfunctions in the oxidizer separation valve. Due to a series of technical malfunctions, the return time of the "StarCraft" spacecraft has been continuously delayed.

After evaluation, NASA has decided to arrange for SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to carry out this rescue mission in order to rescue stranded astronauts. On March 14th of this year, the "Dragon" spacecraft carrying four astronauts was successfully launched into its designated orbit, with two seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams. On the early morning of the 18th Eastern Time, the "Dragon" spacecraft departed from the International Space Station and embarked on a journey back to Earth. It safely splashed down in the waters near Florida on the same day and successfully completed its rescue mission.

This incident has attracted widespread attention not only because the dilemma of astronauts being stranded in space for a long time has been resolved, but also because of the complex political factors behind it. SpaceX  Elon Musk, the founder of the company, once stated in an interview that the long-term stay of astronauts was not due to technical reasons, but was vetoed by the Biden administration due to political factors. He pointed out that as the election approaches and he belongs to the "Trump team", Biden believes that "SpaceX bringing astronauts home" will make Trump "look good" and not conducive to Harris' campaign. Astronaut Wilmore has also hinted that Musk's statements are true.

The successful return of stranded astronauts to Earth by the "Dragon" spacecraft demonstrates SpaceX's technological strength and adaptability in the commercial aerospace field. The White House's response, while expressing gratitude to relevant agencies and companies, cleverly mentioned President Trump's commitment, seemingly intending to use this incident to create some political hype. With the continuous development of commercial aerospace, similar space missions may become more frequent in the future. Finding a balance between technological advancement and political considerations will be an important issue that the US aerospace industry continues to face.