When NASA sends the first astronauts to explore the Moon’s South Pole, the moon walkers will wear space suits provided by Axiom Space. NASA selected a company to design the advanced suits for the Artemis III mission and attended the event where the first prototype was unveiled during an event at the Houston Space Center in Texas on Wednesday. Working with commercial service providers, Axiom Space helped advance the agency’s goal of building a robust lunar economy by holding an event where students and the media could ask questions and get a close-up view of the spacesuit.

“NASA’s partnership with Axiom is critical to landing astronauts on the moon and maintaining America’s leadership in space. Building on NASA’s years of research and experience, Axiom’s next-generation spacesuits will not only allow the first woman to walk on the moon, but also create opportunities for more people to conduct and explore scientific research on the moon than ever before,” Nasa said. “Our partnership invests in America, supports American workers, and demonstrates another example of American technical acumen that will enable NASA and the commercial space industry to compete and win in the 21st century.”

Artemis III will land astronauts, including the first woman, on the Moon to advance long-term lunar exploration and scientific exploration and inspire generations of Artemis. NASA chose Axiom Space to deliver the lunar rover system, including the spacesuit for the mission. Called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit or AxEMU, the spacesuit is based on NASA’s prototype spacesuit designs and features cutting-edge technology, improved mobility and added protection against lunar hazards.

NASA has decided to use a commercial service contract to develop a new spacesuit with NASA, which has purchased rover services from Axiom Space. Under this model, the company is encouraged to seek other business customers for its lunar rover services. This mutually beneficial approach helps strengthen the emerging commercial market and gives NASA the right to use contractually developed data and technology for future exploration efforts.

“NASA is leading the way in creating a thriving space economy by leveraging NASA’s industry capabilities and expertise to deliver lunar rover services as safely, efficiently and effectively as possible,” said Lara Kearney, NASA’s extravehicular and human surface mobility program manager.

NASA laid the foundation for AxEMU with the agency’s efforts to develop the Exploration Extra Vehicle Mobility Unit (xEMU) prototype, which improves spacesuit designs for multiple targets. Axiom Space used the xEMU’s underlying experience, expertise and data as a basis for the design and development of the xEMU, including astronaut feedback on advances in technology, training, comfort and maneuverability, and interoperability with other NASA systems. Building on NASA’s previous development efforts, Axiom Space helps reduce technical and timing risk.

NASA experts have defined the technical and safety standards from which the spacesuits will be built, and Axiom Space has agreed to meet these core agency requirements. The AxEMU has the range of motion and flexibility needed to explore the lunar landscape, and the suit will fit a wide variety of crew members, comprising at least 90 percent of the U.S. male and female population. As Axiom Space evolves, it will continue to implement today’s technological innovations in life support systems, protective gear and avionics.

Axiom Space is responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification and manufacture of flight training suits and support equipment, including instruments, to support the Artemis III mission. The company will test the suit in space before the mission begins. NASA supports astronaut training, mission planning, and maintenance system approvals.

After Artemis III, the agency will compete with future Artemis mission services under the Exploration Vehicle Activity Services (xEVAS) contract. NASA uses the contract to meet the agency’s needs for spacewalks to both the Moon and the International Space Station. The agency recently placed an order with Collins Aerospace, which is also included in the xEVAS contract, to develop new space suits for astronauts during spacewalks on the space station. The two vendors will compete for future spaceflight and lunar rover service orders.

With Artemis, NASA will place the first woman and the first human of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term permanent presence on the Moon to explore the Moon’s surface more than ever before and prepare for future Mars astronaut missions. .