NASA Engineers Fix Artemis II’s Broken Space Toilet Hours Before Moon Mission Launch
Just hours before the Artemis II crew was set to launch on a historic journey around the Moon, astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft ran into an unexpected problem the toilet stopped working.
Mission specialist Christina Koch flagged an issue with part of Orion’s waste management system, which NASA officially designates the Universal Waste Management System. The system handles urine collection and disposal for the four-person crew. NASA spokesperson Gary Jordan confirmed during live mission commentary that the toilet’s fan had reportedly jammed, prompting ground teams to immediately begin working out instructions to access and clear the fan.
Norm Knight, NASA’s director of flight operations, told reporters at Kennedy Space Center that the malfunction stemmed from a controller issue within the toilet unit. NASA later clarified that while astronauts could still use the commode for solid waste disposal, urination through the system was temporarily not possible. Engineers were called in to restore full functionality as quickly as possible.
A Backup Plan Was Already in Place
NASA had contingency measures ready. Even if the primary toilet system remained compromised during the lunar flyby mission, the spacecraft’s fecal collection capability would remain fully operational through Orion’s onboard waste management system ensuring the crew would not face any critical sanitation gaps during their time in deep space.
Flight controllers worked through a series of corrective steps after Koch first reported the issue to Mission Control. The effort paid off. “Happy to report that the toilet is go for use,” Koch confirmed after the system was assessed and cleared.
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Mission Control’s Capcom, Amy Dill, then radioed back with specific operating guidance: “We do recommend letting the system get to operating speed before donating fluid, and then letting it run a little bit after donation.”
With the issue resolved in time, the Artemis II crew was cleared to proceed their mission to orbit the Moon back on track, plumbing and all.