Overview
- The crew has curtailed use of Orion’s Universal Waste Management System, with Mission Control directing them to Collapsible Contingency Urinals and to bag solid waste for return to Earth.
- Within hours of launch, the toilet’s urine fan and pump failed to prime, which astronaut Christina Koch fixed by adding water to the system.
- Days later, urine froze at the exterior vent and blocked flow, and controllers pointed Orion at the Sun and used heaters to melt the ice and restore function.
- Engineers later reported the venting problem persisted and likely comes from debris formed by a chemical used to treat wastewater that is now blocking a filter, with a full inspection planned after splashdown off San Diego.
- Despite the sanitation issues, NASA says Artemis II met its goals, including far-side Moon observations and a new distance record, using a new toilet system reported to cost about $23–$30 million.