The Artemis II astronauts are more than halfway to the moon, but a recurring problem inside their Orion capsule bathroom is still being worked, NASA officials said April 4. As the crew approaches its Monday lunar fly-around, Mission Control has told the four astronauts to lean more heavily on backup urine collection bags until the toilet issue is resolved.
In a report from space operations, Mission Control said the “lunar loo” malfunctioned following Wednesday’s liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. Mission managers said engineers are still trying to stabilize bathroom performance as the spacecraft continues its trajectory to the moon’s far side.
Pilot Victor Glover told mission controllers, “The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger.” The crew is continuing toward its fly-around target with the mission’s imaging goals, including photographing the lunar far side as Orion swings past.
NASA officials said that until the Orion capsule’s bathroom is fixed, the astronauts have been instructed to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. A version of the toilet was tested earlier on the International Space Station, but officials have not said the test translated into a fully reliable system for Artemis II.
NASA engineers suspect ice may be interfering with the toilet’s line, which they said is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. Mission officials reported that the toilet remains available for “No. 2” use, but that the flushing function has continued to be inconsistent.
Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the astronauts also reported a smell coming from the bathroom. Korth described space toilets and bathrooms as a challenge even with prior experience, and she said the space shuttle toilet was often “on the fritz,” underscoring that the problem is not unique to the newest capsule.
John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said it is human nature to focus on the toilet, but he added that the system is operating “in a good state right now.” Honeycutt said he would like it working at “100%,” while also telling reporters that the astronauts are “OK” and had trained to manage through the situation.
NASA says Artemis II is positioned to set a distance record for humans by traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth before performing a U-turn behind the moon and heading home. The record is currently held by Apollo 13, and Artemis II is designed as a nearly 10-day mission that ends with a Pacific splashdown on April 10.
As the crew continues its approach, the mission also marks Canada’s presence in a lunar voyage. The Canadian Space Agency highlighted astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s role, noting that Hansen is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon, and Canada’s president, Lisa Campbell, said that Hansen was making “history for Canada” as he headed toward the lunar rendezvous.
Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are the first lunar astronauts since Apollo 17’s crew flew to the moon in 1972. Koch and Glover are the first female and first Black astronauts to reach the moon, NASA said, and the Artemis II flight is described as the first step in plans for a sustainable moon base—setting the stage for a possible two-astronaut landing near the lunar south pole in 2028.