An imaginary drawing showing a person walking on the moon wearing a next-generation space suit. Courtesy of NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace as the next-generation spacesuit development companies on the 1st (local time). The developed spacesuit will be used in the US manned moon exploration project ‘Artemis’.
The spacesuit to be developed by Axiomspace and Collins Aerospace is an Artemis-customized spacesuit called the Outboard Mobile Exploration Unit (xEMU). NASA has space suits for the International Space Station (ISS). However, this is a spacesuit developed in the 1970s. The moon rises to minus 250 degrees Celsius in the shade and up to 250 degrees Celsius under the sun, showing an extreme daily temperature difference. Spacesuits for the ISS are not suitable for withstanding the extreme conditions of the moon or for walking on lunar soil. Moreover, it is even more unsuitable for a long stay on the moon.
Spacesuit development engineer Christine Davis, a researcher at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, shows off a new spacesuit design during the 2019 spacesuit unveiling. Courtesy of NASA
NASA has been working on developing a new space suit for the Artemis project. However, NASA’s spacesuit design and purpose went through ups and downs, changing each time the government’s space priorities were adjusted.
This selection is a concrete first step towards the development of a new space suit. NASA officials have defined spacesuit technology and safety standards, and Axiomspace and Collins Aerospace will jointly develop a spacesuit that meets these standards. These companies will receive a total of $3.5 billion (regarding 4.34 trillion won).
Vanessa Wish, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said: “Through this agreement, NASA and our partners will develop reliable, high-quality space suits that will allow humans to explore space like never before.”
An imaginary drawing of an astronaut wearing xEMU working on the surface of the moon. Provided by NASA.
