On March 15, during a presentation at the Houston Space Center in Texas, a prototype of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) commercial spacesuit was presented, in which astronauts would land on the Moon as part of the third Artemis mission. Unlike the iconic NASA suits worn by the Apollo astronauts more than 50 years ago, the new spacesuit is made by the private firm Axiom Space, which provides space services for the aerospace administration.
“We are continuing NASA’s legacy by developing an advanced spacesuit that will allow astronauts to work safely and efficiently on the Moon. The spacesuit for Artemis III from Axiom Space will be ready to face the complex challenges of the Moon’s south pole and will help expand our understanding of the Earth’s moon to subsequently ensure a long-term presence of colonists there,” said Michael T. Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom Space.
NASA has a contract with Axiom worth USD 1.26 billion, of which USD 228.5 million was spent on the creation of new-generation spacesuits as part of the Artemis III mission. The suit was created based on the xEMU prototype developed by engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit provides increased flexibility, better protection from harsh environments and specialized tools to meet research needs and expand scientific research. To create AxEMU, industry experts from Air-Lock, Arrow Science and Technology, David Clark Company, Paragon Space Development Corporation, Sophic Synergistics и APT Research were involved.
The design of the spacesuit was created in collaboration with Esther Marquis, costume designer of the popular sci-fi show Apple TV For All Mankind. The final Axiom spacesuits will have a white outer layer to reflect heat, protecting astronauts from extremely high temperatures during a sunny day. To hide the branded elements of the suit, the prototype is decorated with the Axiom logo and the company’s corporate colors: blue, black and orange.
“Our team of experts is ready to provide NASA with a next-generation spacesuit. We have carefully taken into account many years of lessons and used this experience to create a spacesuit for the Moon and our future customers,” said Mark Greeley, EVA program manager with Axiom Space.
Axiom Space will provide suits to the aerospace administration for rent. In addition to completing AxEMU spacesuits, among other services Axiom Space will also provide system training and real-time operations support for NASA.
According to NASA.
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