Artemis II spacecraft's toilet BREAKS hours after launch as Nasa scrambles to find loo

George Bunn
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:33:06 +0000

The Artemis II spacecraft encountered an embarrassing technical hitch just hours after blasting off on its historic lunar voyage when the onboard toilet malfunctioned.

Mission specialist Christina Koch, the sole female astronaut among the four-person crew, alerted Mission Control to the problem shortly after Wednesday evening's spectacular launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A warning light began flashing on the Universal Waste Management System, prompting concern among ground teams in Houston.

Nasa's associate administrator Amit Kshatriya described the fault as "a controller issue with the toilet" during a post-launch press conference.

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The space agency confirmed that while the lavatory's fan had become jammed, the crew could still use the facility for solid waste but not liquid waste.

"The toilet fan is reported to be jammed," Nasa spokesperson Gary Jordan explained during live mission commentary.

Ground controllers in Houston swiftly began working through the problem with the crew, developing instructions to access the jammed fan and clear the blockage.

After several hours of troubleshooting, Koch was guided through the repair procedure while hurtling through space at thousands of miles per hour.

"Houston, Integrity, good checkout," Koch radioed back after completing the fix on the spacecraft, which bears the name Integrity.

Mission Control's Capcom Amy Dill responded with welcome news for the crew: "Happy to report that toilet is go for use."

Ms Dill offered some practical advice, recommending that astronauts allow the system to reach operating speed before use and let it run briefly afterwards.

Nasa confirmed in a blog post that mission control teams had "successfully assessed the data and worked with the crew to troubleshoot and resolve the issue," restoring the lavatory to normal operations.

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The toilet aboard the Orion capsule represents a significant advancement in deep space sanitation, marking the first time a proper lavatory has been installed on a spacecraft venturing beyond Earth orbit.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen described the facility as "the one place that we can go during the mission where we can actually feel like we're alone for a moment."

The compact titanium system operates using vacuum suction to separate liquid and solid waste into different containers.

Urine is collected through a hose and vented into space several times daily, while faecal matter is drawn downward into sealed bags that are compressed into canisters for return to Earth.

The phone booth-sized stall features a door mounted on the floor, which poses no difficulty in microgravity as astronauts simply float inside.

One notable quirk: hearing protection is required due to the system's considerable noise levels.

The Artemis II mission represents humanity's first crewed voyage to lunar orbit in more than five decades, with the last such journey being Apollo 17 in 1972.

Nasa's Space Launch System rocket lifted off just before sunset on Wednesday, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch from Nasa, alongside Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The crew will travel approximately 252,000 miles into space during their roughly 10-day expedition, surpassing the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

This mission serves as a crucial rehearsal for Nasa's ambition to land astronauts on the lunar South Pole, with the agency targeting 2028 for that historic touchdown.

The US is racing to achieve this goal ahead of China, which has announced plans for its own crewed lunar mission as early as 2030.

During the Apollo era, astronauts had no dedicated toilet facilities and relied on plastic bags for waste collection.