The quartet of astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission has crossed the halfway mark on their journey to the moon, having successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. However, an all-too-familiar issue has resurfaced during their voyage.
The spacecraft’s toilet has malfunctioned for the second time since they left Earth.
“Last night, we attempted to vent the wastewater tank connected to the toilet. Unfortunately, we encountered issues, likely caused by a blockage, possibly due to ice formation. As a result, we instructed the crew overnight to use their collapsible contingency urine devices,” explained Judd Frieling, the Artemis II flight director, in a Saturday news briefing.
The team first faced problems with the toilet shortly after their mission began. The onboard lunar loo experienced difficulties following the initial liftoff, a challenge that continues to persist.
Captured by NASA, this image shows Earth as seen from the Orion capsule by Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)
Despite these setbacks, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, Debbie Korth, assured that the toilet remains operational.
“You know, this is a test flight. We’re figuring out how these systems work together, but it is operable, and we have redundancy to get us through the mission,” she said.
The toilet, NASA confirmed, is still available for astronauts to use for solid waste.
The Artemis II crew, from left, Canadien astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they appear on a video conference from the moon’s orbit Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)
“Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can really understand .. it’s always a challenge,” Korth said.
John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said the public’s interest in the Orion toilet was “kind of human nature.”
NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“I mean, everybody knows how important that is to us here on Earth and it’s harder to manage in space. I’m interested in it, you know? I mean, I know we’re in a good state right now, but I would really like for it to be in the best state that it can be for the crew’s sake,” he said. “It’s a little bit of camping in space already, but then it makes it camping a little bit tougher when you don’t have the full capability of the toilet.”
“But you know, they’re okay and they’re trying to manage through the situation,” Honeycutt added.
NASA said the astronauts reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is located in the floor of the capsule.
“Regarding the smell, I just wanted to make sure you all were tracking the EGS notes of the kind of burning heater smell that was coming from toilet several times,” astronaut Christina Koch, who helped address the issue earlier this week, told mission control on Saturday, according to Space.com.
Orion will orbit the moon on Monday before heading back to Earth.
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