NASA will need new suits to accompany astronauts to the moon for its Artemis I mission, and now we know who will make them: Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace. The two companies will develop next-generation suits that will be used both for spacewalk on the ISS and for exploring the Moon. NASA says it has defined technical and safety standards around the new “xEMU” (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit) team, but it is up to these partners to take care of the “design, development, qualification, [and] certification “as well as the construction of the necessary support equipment.
According to NASA, the new suits could be ready in 2025, after testing at the ISS or in a simulated environment. While the space agency is also gearing up for other new equipment, such as SpaceX lunar terrifiers and more companies, having new outfits is one of its most important tasks for future missions. Today, astronauts still rely on space equipment designed about 45 years ago for the space shuttle program. In an August 2021 report, NASA noted that its xEMU plans are unlikely to reach its original 2024 target and that it has spent about $ 420 million developing the new suits.