Andreas Mogensen, a Danish astronaut who previously was the ISS commander until March of last year, called out Musk over his comments during his interview with Sean Hannity this week, where Musk said they were accelerating the return of the two astronauts, and claimed they were left in the ISS “for political reasons.”

NASA has selected SpaceX to develop the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, which will be responsible for guiding the ISS to its end of life. While SpaceX will develop the spacecraft, NASA will take ownership and oversee its operation during the deorbit process. The spacecraft will ultimately burn up along with the ISS during re-entry.

As chairman of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, Cruz effectively has control over Isaacman's confirmation process. He was also just re-elected to a six-year term, so theoretically Cruz is less susceptible to political pressure from the Trump White House.

The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible,” Musk wrote Thursday on his social media site X. He argued that the ISS “has served its purpose”.

Notably, the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to deorbit in 2030, following several extensions in its lifespan. Last year, SpaceX had won a $843 million Nasa contract to formally deorbit

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggests it is time to deorbit the International Space Station, arguing it has fulfilled its purpose. He recommends deorbiting the ISS within two years and advocates focusing on Mars missions instead.