NASA's next-generation spacesuit is absolutely amazing

NASA's Artemis III mission will be the first of three crewed planned missions back to the moon as part of the Artemis program. In order to get astronauts to the moon safely, NASA developed a new kind of spacesuit with help.

NASA revealed the next-generation spacesuit that Artemis program astronauts will be wearing when they make their trip to the moon in March 2023 and the new suit captured the imagination of the world at the time.

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“The big, puffy white moonsuits worn by Neil Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts a half-century ago are out of fashion,” wrote Reuters journalist Steve Gorman. 

“Lunar haute couture now calls for something more form-fitting and appropriate for men and women alike,” Gorman added, referring to the new spacesuits' interesting design. 

NASA’s new outfits were produced by the Texas-based commercial space company Axiom Space, which also operates missions to the International Space Station. 

Featured in a dark black with accents of blue and oranges, NASA’s new spacesuit is a big departure from the bulky white suits worn since the first missions to the moon. 

Photo Credit: NASA

The exact look of the final suits is still a closely guarded secret according to Gorman, but the outfits displayed during the announcement gave onlookers an idea of what the final product might look like during NASA’s future mission to the lunar south pole. 

“Those on display came with an outer layer that was charcoal gray with dashes of orange and blue and Axiom's logo on the chest—intended to obscure Axiom's proprietary outer fabric design,” Gorman wrote. 

Axiom Space’s suit isn’t just all looks, though, it featured a number of important upgrades and changes that will help astronauts while exploring the lunar surface. 

Unfortunately, only small details were given out about the suit's capabilities at the time but we do know that they can accommodate 90% of the American population.

NASA Public Relations Officer Vanessa Lloyd also noted in the agency’s official blog announcement that Axiom’s suit would also included “modern technological innovations in life support systems, pressure garments, and avionics as development continues.”

"Axiom Space is responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of flight training spacesuits and support equipment, including tools, to enable the Artemis III mission,” Lloyd continued. 

“The company will test the suit in a spacelike environment prior to the mission,” Lloyd also noted at the time, adding that NASA would maintain “the authority for astronaut training, mission planning, and approval of the service systems.”

The official name of NASA’s new suit is the Axiom Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) and it was still in its prototype stage when it was revealed to the world. 

“NASA’s partnership with Axiom is critical to landing astronauts on the Moon and continuing American leadership in space,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 

“Axiom’s next-generation spacesuits will not only enable the first woman to walk on the Moon, but they will also open opportunities for more people to explore and conduct science on the Moon than ever before," Nelson added. 

The Artemis-III mission was planned for 2025 according to NASA but in January 2024 the date of the mission was pushed back to no sooner than September 2024.

Photo by Twitter @NASAArtemis

Artemis III astronauts will spend about 30 days traveling to lunar orbit before two crew members make their way down to the surface of the moon and spend roughly a week at the South Pole of the Moon according to NASA.

The crew members will conduct scientific experiments while on the moon's surface and then rejoin the other crew members in orbit before returning home to Earth.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By NASA/Bill Anders, Public Domain

“Extreme, contrasting conditions make it a challenging location for Earthlings to land, live, and work, but the region’s unique characteristics hold promise for unprecedented deep space scientific discoveries,” according to NASA’s Artemis-III website. 

Photo by Twitter @NASAArtemis