Photo: NASA
I know, the Artemis I mission is not even off the ground yet, so talking about Artemis III may seem a bit premature. But this is how things go in space exploration: not even malfunctioning engines and hydrogen leaks will stop engineers from dreaming about the future.
Back in June 2022, NASA announced it had selected Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace for an indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract valued at $3.5 billion and targeting the production of spacesuits for Artemis astronauts.
Artemis III is the mission that’ll place American boots on the lunar surface once more, and for that one Axiom will be making the suits, as revealed this week by the space agency. Described as a moonwalking system, the suits developed by Axiom will cost NASA $228.5 million (base value), and will be followed by recurring spacesuit services.
No exact details on the suit were provided, but it’ll probably be based on the already presented Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) announced since 2019. NASA says it was in charge with coming up with the technical and safety requirements, and Axiom will handle design, development, qualification, certification, and production.
The company will have to find the means to test the suits in a spacelike environment before the Artemis III deployment. If successful, the suit will be adopted for the mission, and its use might also be expanded to other projects, including subsequent lunar landings, low-orbit missions on the International Space Station (ISS), and special studies.
“NASA is proud to partner with commercial industry on this historic mission that will kickstart the United States building a lasting presence on the surface of the Moon,” said in a statement Lara Kearney, manager of NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program.
“What we learn on Artemis III and future missions on and around the Moon will pave the way for missions to Mars. Spacesuits enable us to literally take that next step.”
Artemis III is the mission that’ll place American boots on the lunar surface once more, and for that one Axiom will be making the suits, as revealed this week by the space agency. Described as a moonwalking system, the suits developed by Axiom will cost NASA $228.5 million (base value), and will be followed by recurring spacesuit services.
No exact details on the suit were provided, but it’ll probably be based on the already presented Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) announced since 2019. NASA says it was in charge with coming up with the technical and safety requirements, and Axiom will handle design, development, qualification, certification, and production.
The company will have to find the means to test the suits in a spacelike environment before the Artemis III deployment. If successful, the suit will be adopted for the mission, and its use might also be expanded to other projects, including subsequent lunar landings, low-orbit missions on the International Space Station (ISS), and special studies.
“NASA is proud to partner with commercial industry on this historic mission that will kickstart the United States building a lasting presence on the surface of the Moon,” said in a statement Lara Kearney, manager of NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program.
“What we learn on Artemis III and future missions on and around the Moon will pave the way for missions to Mars. Spacesuits enable us to literally take that next step.”
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