NASA Astronauts Struggle with Microsoft Outlook in Space

Artemis II crew faces technical issues with email software during historic moon mission

Apr. 2, 2026 at 6:19pm by Ben Kaplan

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As the Artemis II astronauts embarked on NASA's first crewed moon mission in over 50 years, they encountered an unexpected challenge - problems with Microsoft Outlook on their personal computing devices. Mission Control had to remotely troubleshoot the email software issues, which included multiple instances of Outlook running on the astronauts' devices. Despite this earthly technical conflict, the crew was able to resolve the Outlook problems and continue their historic journey to the moon.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission is a landmark achievement for NASA, marking the first crewed lunar voyage since the Apollo program. However, the astronauts' struggles with basic software like Microsoft Outlook highlight the very human challenges of spaceflight, even in an era of advanced technology. This incident underscores how even the most seasoned astronauts can face unexpected technical hurdles that mission control must quickly address to keep the mission on track.

The details

Shortly after the Orion spacecraft launched on Wednesday, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman reported issues with his Microsoft Outlook email software. Wiseman told mission control that he was seeing two instances of Outlook running on his personal computing device, a Microsoft Surface Pro, and that neither instance was working properly. Mission control was able to remotely access Wiseman's device and resolve the Outlook issues, getting the email software functional again. This was just one of several technical challenges the Artemis II crew faced early in their mission, including prior issues with hydrogen and helium leaks, a faulty heat shield, and problems with the spacecraft's safety system.

  • On Wednesday, the Artemis II spacecraft launched, beginning NASA's first crewed moon mission in over 50 years.
  • Shortly after launch, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman reported issues with his Microsoft Outlook email software.

The players

Reid Wiseman

The commander of the Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar voyage since the Apollo program.

NASA

The United States space agency overseeing the Artemis II moon mission.

Microsoft

The technology company that produces the Microsoft Outlook email software used by the Artemis II astronauts.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Reid Wiseman, Artemis II Commander

“We wanted to let Reid know we are done remoting into his PCD 1. 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.”

— Mission Control Representative

What’s next

The Artemis II crew is scheduled to spend 10 days in space, including a flyby of the Moon, before returning to Earth. NASA will continue to monitor the astronauts' health and the spacecraft's systems throughout the mission.

The takeaway

Even the most advanced space missions can be derailed by mundane technical issues like software problems. The Artemis II incident highlights the importance of robust troubleshooting capabilities and the adaptability of both astronauts and mission control to overcome unexpected challenges, no matter how small, to ensure the success of historic space voyages.