NASA's Artemis II Mission Progresses Toward Lunar Flyby Amid Toilet System Issues

NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flight since 1972, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 3, 2025. The four-person crew—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—aboard the Orion spacecraft has completed four days of the 10-day journey.

The mission tests Orion's systems for future lunar landings, including manual piloting and spacesuit evaluations. On Saturday, April 5, the crew captured a photograph of the moon's far side, showing the Orientale basin oriented with its South Pole upward.

NASA released the image on Sunday, April 6, noting it provides the first full human view of the basin, a large impact crater along the moon's right edge. The crew plans to observe the basin from multiple angles during the flyby to compare it with craters on other celestial bodies from Mercury to Pluto.

The spacecraft reached approximately 64,000 miles from the moon on Sunday, April 6. Later that day, Orion entered the moon's sphere of influence, where lunar gravity exceeds Earth's pull. The crew conducted spacesuit tests and other flight procedures ahead of the flyby.

Orion is scheduled to reach the moon's vicinity shortly after midnight on Monday, April 7. m. ET, at a distance of 4,066 miles from the lunar surface. At that point, the crew will view the entire lunar disk, including polar regions. m. ET on Monday, followed by a brief communication blackout as the spacecraft loops behind the moon's far side.

During the flyby, the crew will observe a solar eclipse lasting about one hour as the sun aligns behind the moon.

Since launch, the crew has experienced intermittent issues with Orion's toilet system. On Saturday, April 5, the system could not dump waste overboard due to a possible frozen vent line, according to NASA. The crew used backup collapsible plastic containers for urine collection.

NASA reported a clogged wastewater vent line on Saturday. The crew adjusted the spacecraft's orientation to direct the vent toward the sun, which did not alter the trajectory. Engineers activated vent heaters to melt potential ice, partially freeing space in the waste tank.

The toilet remains operational, but the crew was instructed to use backups overnight if needed. The wastewater tank is not full.

“— Christina Koch, April 5, 2025 (BBC)”

The crew has conducted manual piloting demonstrations and reviewed science objectives. They have also viewed Earth through Orion's windows. The cabin measures about 5 meters wide and 3 meters high. This mission surpasses the Apollo 13 distance record of 248,655 miles from Earth, set in 1970.

Artemis II does not include a lunar landing but validates Orion for Artemis III, planned for 2026. On Sunday, the crew awoke to "Working Class Heroes (Work)" by CeeLo Green. A mission control flight controller danced briefly in his chair to the wakeup song.

> "We want to gather as much data as we possibly can for that...

“— Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator, April 6, 2025 (CBS News)”

NASA will provide flyby coverage starting at 1 p.m. ET on Monday and host a briefing from Johnson Space Center on Sunday evening.