The world's design capital was chosen by the private aerospace company Axiom to unveil the spacesuit that NASA astronauts will wear to explore the lunar south pole during the upcoming Artemis 3 mission.
The suit, officially named AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit), is designed for extravehicular activities, meaning outside the spacecraft. "We have broken the mold. The Axiom Space-Prada partnership has established a new fundamental model for collaboration between industries, further expanding what is possible in commercial space," said Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space, during the presentation.
According to both companies, AxEMU will allow astronauts to conduct walks lasting at least eight hours. The suit is adjustable to different sizes and body types, intended for use by both women and men. "It will withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and endure the coldest temperatures in permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours," Axiom detailed in a statement.
The chosen materials and design are said to provide them with "greater flexibility, performance, and safety, as well as specialized tools to aid in the exploration of the lunar south pole." For example, it features a carbon dioxide purification system and cooling technology to dissipate heat, along with advanced linings in the helmet and visor to enhance astronauts' vision of their surroundings, and customized gloves with several advancements compared to current gloves.
In 2022, Axiom won a $228 million contract from NASA to assist in the development and design of this next-generation spacesuit for the Artemis mission, the first to land on the Moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972.
Over the years, the suit has undergone testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, simulating the lunar environment in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), and has been tested for zero-gravity responses. Testing will continue in the coming months, with the critical design review phase expected in 2025.
Artemis program delays
The Artemis program to return to the Moon is experiencing numerous delays. Only the first mission, Artemis 1, an unmanned 25-day flight around the Moon, has been completed. Artemis 2, with four astronauts aboard to orbit the Moon for about a week, was scheduled for late this year but has been postponed by a year. Artemis 3 is not expected to launch before 2026, with potential further delays.
In addition to some issues with suit development, SpaceX's Starship vehicle, chosen by NASA for lunar descent, is still undergoing testing. SpaceX will build a special version of its Starship, with the latest test, the fifth, successfully landing the rocket's first stage in a controlled manner.
Apart from contributing to the development of the NASA astronauts' suits for the Artemis missions to the Moon, the private company Axiom is already conducting fully private crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS) with non-agency astronauts.
To make this program a reality, Axiom has recruited veteran ex-NASA astronauts like Miguel López-Alegría and Peggy Whitson as commanders of these private ISS missions, which typically last about a week.