‘A lot of politics’; Stranded astronaut Butch Wilmore's daughter blames ‘negligence’ for her dad’s long absence

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally coming back to earth!
After an unexpected (and over-stretched) nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the two NASA astronauts, who initially embarked on a 10-day mission aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule, faced multiple technical setbacks that left them stranded in orbit. As per media reports, NASA has now confirmed their long-awaited return date: March 16, 2025.
Although everyone is happy and relieved to know that the two astronauts are coming back home, the 16-year-old daughter of stranded Starliner astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore has expressed frustration over her father’s extended stay on the International Space Station since June, blaming it to “negligence” and “a lot of politics.”

In a TikTok video, the 16-year-old shared how she longs to hug her father again and bemoaned all the family moments he has missed during the orbital mishap. Daryn Wilmore shared her emotions on TikTok, where she expressed her deep longing to hug her father again and lamented the family moments he has missed due to the orbital mishap.

She shared in her February 6 post, “He’s missed out on a lot.” According to a report by the New York Post, the teen said in a video posted on February 6, “It’s less the fact that he’s up there sometimes; it’s more the fact of why. There’s a lot of politics, there’s a lot of things that I’m not at liberty say in that I don’t know fully about. But there’s been issues, there’s been negligence. It’s just been issue after issue after issue."

Meanwhile, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has attributed the delay in his rescue to the Biden administration’s reluctance to take action.
Musk stated last year that he was prepared to launch a SpaceX rocket to bring Barry “Butch” Wilmore and fellow astronaut Sunita Williams home after their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned. However, as per the New York Post, he claimed that officials in the Biden administration halted the plan.

Despite her frustration, Wilmore emphasised that she is not depressed over her father's space station dilemma. She shared that her family speaks with him almost daily and said he's keeping busy.
The teen said, "Recently we found out he will most likely be coming back in mid-March, which is so exciting, and I miss him so much, and I can only wait to hug his neck and see my sister graduate high school and see the show I'm in right now.”
She added, "But, fingers crossed, things could always change and especially with this whole thing. We've had so many changes. He's just been bummed, but he's fine. My dad has always been resilient.”


Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule on June 5, 2024, for what was initially intended to be a short test mission. However, technical issues with the spacecraft caused multiple delays, postponing their return until March 19.
NASA confirmed that it was working with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring the astronauts back to Earth from the ISS "as soon as practical." The space agency noted that SpaceX has been conducting regular crewed missions every six months, ensuring smooth astronaut transitions.