The Artemis II astronauts are more than halfway to the moon and preparing for a historic lunar fly-around, even as a recurring toilet malfunction inside the Orion capsule continues to pose challenges.The four-member crew, comprising three Americans and one Canadian, is expected to reach the moon on Monday, capturing images of the lunar far side during the mission. It marks the first crewed journey toward the moon in more than 53 years, extending human spaceflight beyond the achievements of Nasa’s Apollo era.“The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger,” pilot Victor Glover reported during the journey.However, the mission has faced a familiar issue. The spacecraft’s toilet system, which malfunctioned shortly after liftoff on Wednesday, remains unreliable. Mission Control has directed astronauts to rely on backup urine collection bags until the issue is resolved.Engineers believe ice may be blocking the system’s line, preventing waste from being properly expelled. The toilet remains functional for solid waste, though astronauts have also reported an odour coming from the compartment.“Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can understand .. it’s always a challenge,” said Debbie Korth, Nasa’s Orion program deputy manager, noting that similar issues were common during the space shuttle era.John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said the system is currently “in a good state right now,” but added that he would prefer it to be fully operational. “They’re OK,” he said of the astronauts. “They trained to manage through the situation.”Despite the setback, Artemis II is on track to set a new record for the farthest distance travelled by humans, reaching more than 252,000 miles from Earth before looping behind the moon and returning. The current record is held by Apollo 13.The mission also carries historic significance. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has become the first non-American to travel to the moon, while Christina Koch and Victor Glover are the first woman and first Black astronaut, respectively, to undertake a lunar mission.“Today he is making history for Canada,” said Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell. “As we watch him taking this bold step into the unknown, let his journey remind us that Canada’s future is written by those who dare to reach for more.”Speaking during a live broadcast, Hansen described the views from the Orion capsule as “extraordinary.”Artemis II, a nearly 10-day mission set to conclude with a Pacific splashdown on April 10, is a key step in Nasa’s long-term plan to establish a sustained human presence on the moon, including a targeted landing near the lunar south pole by 2028.
