NASA’s Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman was less than 90,000 miles from Earth when he ran into a problem that millions of office workers face every week: he had two Microsoft Outlook’s and both stopped working. About an hour later, ground controllers resolved the issue remotely. If you’ve ever wondered why Outlook behaves strangely without a reliable internet connection, you are in very good company, literally “out of this world” kind of company.
On April 1, 2026, NASA launched the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a journey around the Moon. Within hours of launch, the crew encountered a problem that will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever called IT support from their desk: Microsoft Outlook stopped working and confusion about New vs Classic Outlook.
Back in 2009 we explained how Outlook was used in a special way by Space Shuttle astronauts so the latest news has Office Watch very interested.
There’s not a lot of detail available on what happened and how Outlook works between the Earth and the Moon. It might not be the same as for us earthbound Office users.
We’ve asked both NASA and Microsoft for more information, in the meantime this is what we know … compared to the ‘knowledge’ of social media ‘experts’ <sigh>.
We’ll update this article when/if more detail is available.
What Happened?
Commander Reid Wiseman radioed Mission Control on the crew’s first day in space to report that he had two instances of Outlook running on his computer, a Microsoft Surface Pro, and neither seemed to be working.
His exact words, picked up on NASA’s live stream, were:
“I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working. If you wanna remote in and check Optimus and those two Outlooks, that would be awesome.“
Optimus seems to be some NASA specialist software.
Why Were There Two Outlooks?
This is actually a well-known mess of Microsoft’s own making, and it has nothing to do with space travel. Office Watch has written a lot about the many different versions of Outlook and the move from Outlook (classic) to New Outlook for Windows.
Most likely the Commander started both classic and new Outlook for Windows. An understandable mistake because the two icons are almost the same.
The Fix
Houston agreed to remote in to take a look. About an hour later, the astronauts received the welcome news that Outlook was back online, though it would appear offline.
The Artemis II ascent flight director, Judd Frieling, gave a little more detail. He said the app sometimes has configuration problems when there’s no direct network connection, and the ground team resolved it by reloading Wiseman’s files in Outlook.
So the fix was essentially: Mission Control remoted into the Surface Pro from Houston and reloaded the profile. Classic IT support, just with a slightly longer cable.
How does Outlook work in space?
We still don’t know what the problem was or how Outlook connects from Artemis II.
It’s possible that there’s a slow and erratic (what’s called a ‘high-latency’ connection) between Outlook and the earth-based mail host. That what most people are assuming but the flight director’s mention of “no direct network connection” would seem to rule that out.
More likely it’s some special connection system, perhaps similar to the OST/PST transfer system used on the Shuttle. That somewhat clumsy system made sense for various reasons.
What This Means for You
Many earthbound Outlook users are understandably curious about how the same software they use works at speeds up to 40,000 kph/25,000 mph and up to 402,000 km/250,000 miles (approx. distance from earth at ‘loss of signal’ before Artemis II goes behind the moon </space nerd>)
The “two Outlooks” problem is hardly unique to astronauts. If you are running Microsoft 365 on a Windows 10 or 11 PC, there is a good chance you also have both versions installed. The new Outlook can be pushed onto machines silently through Windows Update, and Microsoft has been unsubtlety pushing users toward it for some time.
The new Outlook is the one that behaves poorly without a reliable network connection, so it’s less likely to be used on Artemis II.
The practical takeaway
If you work in environments with unreliable connectivity (traveling, remote locations, or, you know, cislunar space), the classic Outlook handles offline mode far more gracefully than the new one. Office Watch has been recommending classic Outlook for many years and the better offline access is just one reason.
NASA uses Outlook as part of its commercial off-the-shelf software for astronaut scheduling, personal communications, and other routine tasks, so it is not mission-critical, but it is a useful illustration of the Outlook’s real-world weaknesses.
The clip went viral almost immediately, and it is hard not to understand why. The image of astronauts heading to the Moon and calling Houston for Outlook support is the most relatable thing NASA has ever broadcast.
How NASA Runs Microsoft Outlook From Space — and Why It Works
How to Switch Back to Classic Outlook from New Outlook
Too Many Microsoft Outlooks? Clear Up the Confusion in Simple Terms
Need Outlook Help? Do This First to Fix Most Problems Fast
Outlook (New) for Windows: What Microsoft Isn’t Telling You
Too Many Microsoft Outlooks: We Explain Them All
Microsoft Outlook Bugs Explained: Inside the Microsoft-Made Crashes and Emergency Fixes
Don’t Believe the Hype: Outlook New Offline Limitations
Outlook Classic Dropped from Microsoft 365
