It seems that Microsoft’s Outlook tends to create issues even for astronauts outbound to the lunar surface on board humanity’s most advanced spacecraft. Just hours after NASA’s Artemis II (Artemis 2) mission launched on April 1, 2026, Commander Reid Wiseman had to seek remote technical support from Earth because Microsoft Outlook was not working on his onboard computer. The software glitch was unrelated to critical spacecraft functions, and the crew continued on their pre-planned mission.
The four-member crew, comprising Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, is on a 10-day mission aboard the Orion spacecraft. This flight marks NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years since the Apollo 17 mission and serves as a critical test flight ahead of future Artemis landings on the Moon.
“Two Microsoft Outlooks” not working
Approximately seven to thirteen hours into the flight, when the spacecraft was in Earth orbit, Commander Wiseman contacted Mission Control in Houston with a familiar frustration for many office workers.
“I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working. If you want to remote in and check Optimus and those two Outlooks, that would be awesome,” Wiseman said during live communications.
The astronauts use a Personal Computing Device (PCD) onboard the Artemis 2, which is essentially a rugged Microsoft Surface Pro device assigned for various tasks during the mission. In addition to the Outlook issue, there was also a problem with Optimus software.
NASA’s ground teams quickly responded by remotely accessing the device. “We wanted to let Reid know we are done remoting into his PCD 1,” Mission Control replied. “We were able to resolve the issue for Optimus, and for Outlook, we were able to get it open. It will show offline, which is expected.”
Flight Director Judd Frieling later confirmed that the team simply had to reload the Outlook files, noting that such configuration issues are not uncommon, especially without a direct network connection in space.
“This is not uncommon. We have this on-station all the time. You know, sometimes Outlook has issues getting configured, especially when you don’t have a network that’s directly connected. And so essentially we just had to reload his files on Outlook to get it working,” he stated.
Internet goes mad with Microsoft memes
The Outlook glitch incident quickly went viral on social media, with users joking that even astronauts cannot escape the legendary issues posed by Microsoft Outlook. Memes compared the situation to common Earth-based IT frustrations, and many wondered what important emails astronauts might need to send while flying toward the Moon.
The Outlook glitch was not the only minor issue the crew faced in the early hours. A toilet fan in the Universal Waste Management System reportedly jammed, prompting ground teams to provide instructions for clearing it. Backup waste management systems were available, ensuring no major inconvenience.
Before launch, the mission had already overcome several technical challenges, including hydrogen and helium leaks, concerns over the heat shield, and issues with the safety system.
Despite these small setbacks, the mission has progressed smoothly. The crew successfully performed a translunar injection burn, setting Orion on its path to loop around the Moon before returning to Earth.