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Artemis II astronauts made grim discovery moments after lift off on first moon mission in 50 years

Home> News> Science

Updated 08:00 2 Apr 2026 GMT+1Published 07:31 2 Apr 2026 GMT+1

Artemis II astronauts made grim discovery moments after lift off on first moon mission in 50 years

It comes after a potential lightning cloud issue was highlighted before NASA's Artemis II launch

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair

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Artemis II successfully took off on Wednesday evening (1 April), with the crew now bound for the Moon - but it looks like they've already hit a bit of a technical hitch.

Unfortunately, the crew won't be setting foot on Earth's only natural satellite, as they will instead set off on a 10-day mission around the Moon.

It could take the four astronauts on humanity's furthest ever journey into space, as NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch are joined with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency to make up the Artemis crew on board the Orion craft.

The mission aims to secure the best view of the moon's dark side that's ever been recorded, if all goes to plan.

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Four RS-25 engines and twin solid rocket boosters ignited a flame which helped to thrust the rocket into the Florida sky, as NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) arced out over the Atlantic Ocean into the atmosphere.

The crew reported a fault after take-off (Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images)
The crew reported a fault after take-off (Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images)

A potential lightning cloud issue was highlighted before launch, while issues around the Launch Abort System also threatened launch, but it seems like everything has gone to plan, with the capsule now in orbit around our planet.

Shockingly, though, the crew reported another issue just hours after take-off while going through life support system checks on board the spacecraft.

Arguably one of the more crucial aspects of the shuttle, the crew noticed something when they were inspecting the toilet, according to the BBC.

At first, astronauts told mission control: "Toilet is powered, waste tank merged."

But just minutes later, they said that the toilet's amber warning light was on, with mission control saying they would need some more time to figure out a solution.

The Artemis crew managed to fix the toilet with help from mission control (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)
The Artemis crew managed to fix the toilet with help from mission control (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

Luckily, NASA said the crew managed to fix the spacecraft's toilet and restore it to normal working order.

The space agency said that the crew will now take a four-hour nap before being awakened at 7.00am EDT (11.00am BST) today, to 'prepare for the perigee raise burn'.

This is what will lift the lowest point of Orion's orbit around Earth, preparing it for 'later translunar operations', as the crew will then continue their sleep period at around 9.40am EDT.

At its furthest, the crew will be around 230,000 miles from Earth.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said in a press conference after take-off that 'NASA is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon', noting that the crew is 'safe, secure and in great spirits'.

Fact check: Why hasn't man landed on the moon since 1972?

NASA's 1972 Apollo 17 mission was the last crewed mission to the moon, which saw Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walk the lunar surface for the final time.

But why hasn't NASA gone back since then?

The answer is money, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

It should come as no surprise to learn that going to the moon is very expensive - originally, John F. Kennedy’s government had estimated a $7 billion cost to travel to the moon, and in the end, it came to around $20 billion.

With the combination of less national support and a shift in focus on missions, previous NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine described how the future of lunar travel is about a sustained presence on the Moon, saying: "This time when we go to the Moon we're going to stay. That's what we're looking to do."

Featured Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Topics: NASA, Space

Joshua Nair
Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

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@joshnair10

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