Christina Koch restores the ship’s sanitary system after technical failure identified before orbital maneuver
Astronaut Christina Koch resolved a failure in the sanitary system of the Orion capsule during the Artemis 2 mission, on the journey to the Moon. NASA released a video this Friday (April 3, 2026) in which she reports on the problem on board. The spacecraft left Earth on Wednesday (1st April) and is now heading towards the Moon.
“I’m the space plumber. I’m proud to call myself the space plumber”said Christina Koch, who is the 1st woman to join a lunar mission. With her are astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, from the North American space agency, and Jeremy Hansen, from the Canadian Space Agency.
Christina Koch assumed responsibility for repairing the UWMS (Universal Waste Management System), equipment that collects and stores urine and feces on board the spacecraft. Astronauts identified a fault light flashing on the panel shortly before one of the initial orbital maneuvers. The warning indicated a problem in the system responsible for waste management on board.
“It was a one-off failure, probably related to the time the system was inactive. It needed a warm-up period, a kind of initial adjustment”said Christina.
During the period of system instability, astronauts resorted to contingency solutions. The crew used special urine collection bags, designed for emergencies. The use for solid waste remained operating normally.
“I would say it’s probably the most important piece of equipment on board. So we all breathed a sigh of relief when we saw that everything was fine.””, said the astronaut.
Artemis 2
On Thursday (April 2), the Artemis 2 mission completed the maneuver that took the Orion capsule out of Earth’s orbit and on a trajectory towards the Moon. According to from NASA, it was the first time since Apollo 17, in 1972, that astronauts left Earth’s orbit heading to the lunar surroundings.
A It is a test mission expected to last 10 days. The objective is not to land on the lunar surface, but to orbit the Moon and return to Earth, in a and the effects of deep space on astronauts. Among the mission’s focuses are monitoring radiation exposure, the behavior of the human body outside the protection of the Earth’s magnetic field and the crew’s interaction with the capsule’s automated systems.
On Monday (April 6), during the planned passage around the Moon, the 4 astronauts must photograph the surface in high resolution and make observations from the hidden side of the satellite. After that, Orion will begin its return and should land in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego. If the schedule is maintained, the mission will mark the first manned flight around the Moon in more than 50 years and will pave the way for more ambitious steps in the Artemis program.
Watch the moment of Artemis 2 launch (3min45s):
