NASA’s Moon mission faces technical trouble: What happened on Artemis II
Photo: Artemis II mission encounters first issues on way to Moon (Getty Images)
The Artemis II mission has encountered its first technical problem during the flight to the Moon. The crew reported a malfunction in the spacecraft’s toilet, according to NASA.
While orbiting Earth, the Artemis II crew contacted ground specialists due to the toilet issue. Astronauts noticed a flashing fault indicator signaling a problem with the controller.
Working closely with the flight control center in Houston, the Artemis II crew managed to restore normal operation of the Orion spacecraft’s toilet after demonstrating approach procedures.
Following this, the astronauts were given time to rest before the next flight stage — raising the perigee, which will help establish Orion’s initial orbit before further trans-lunar operations.
What’s known about the Artemis II mission
On the night of April 2, NASA successfully launched Artemis II — the first crewed Moon flight in over 50 years. The rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifted off from Florida for an eight-day orbit of the Earth with a subsequent return.
The international crew of four astronauts on board includes:
- Reid Wiseman — Commander
- Victor Glover — Pilot
- Christina Koch — Mission Specialist
- Jeremy Hansen — Mission Specialist (representative of the Canadian Space Agency)
US President Donald Trump called the launch a symbol of the revival of the American lunar program.
