Trump offers to pay astronauts' overtime after unexpected 9-month space mission
NASA officials speak after astronauts' return
NASA officials held a press conference Tuesday after its Crew-9 astronauts returned to Earth after a nine-month mission on the International Space Station.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says he’s willing to personally foot the bill for astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, who returned this week from a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that was originally scheduled to last just over a week.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Friday, Trump responded to a question from FOX News' Peter Doocy about whether the astronauts would be compensated for the extended trip. When told they’d receive just $1,430 in added pay—$5 per day—Trump said, "Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket. Is that all? That’s not a lot for what they had to go through."
Why their stay in space lasted 286 days
The backstory:
Wilmore and Williams launched in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner for what was supposed to be an eight-day mission. But mechanical issues—including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions—prevented the capsule from returning as planned. NASA ultimately decided to leave Starliner at the ISS for further testing, extending the crew’s stay by over 280 days.
RELATED: NASA astronauts delayed in space for 9 months won’t get overtime pay
The two astronauts were finally brought home earlier this week aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
How much do astronauts get paid for space travel?
By the numbers:
According to NASA, astronauts are not paid overtime or bonuses for time in space. Instead, they receive their standard federal salaries and a $5 daily incidental travel allowance while on official duty. That means each astronaut earned just under $1,500 extra over the course of the mission.
President Donald Trump talks on the rooftop of the Operational Building at NASA after the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (R) and Doug Hurley aboard the rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on May 30, 2020 in Cap (Photo by Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
Their food, lodging, and transportation are covered by NASA.
What they're saying:
President Trump expressed gratitude to Elon Musk and SpaceX for completing the rescue mission.
"Think if we don’t have him?" Trump said. "If we don’t have Elon, they could be up there a long time. Who else is going to get them?"
He also noted the physical toll of prolonged space travel, saying "the body starts to deteriorate" after months in orbit.
The Source: This report is based entirely on verified reporting from FOX Business, including coverage of President Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office and background on the astronauts’ extended stay aboard the ISS. Additional details were provided by NASA’s public compensation policies and SpaceX mission updates. It was reported from Los Angeles.