[Reading Science] "Women Can Wear It Too"... First Reveal of Advanced Spacesuit for Lunar Landing

NASA-Axiom Space, Prototype Unveiled
To Be Used in Artemis 3 Mission After 2025
First Female Astronaut to Wear

"This is the spacesuit that humanity will wear to land on the moon for the first time in over 50 years."

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the prototype of a new spacesuit to be used in the Artemis 3 mission on the 15th (local time). It will be utilized for humanity's second manned lunar landing exploration, scheduled after 2025, following the Apollo program of the 1970s. Notably, it is designed to be worn by anyone regardless of gender, to accommodate the first female astronaut to land on the moon in human history. Although the spacesuit is currently painted dark gray in the photos, it will be painted white when deployed in actual missions. This is to reflect light, maintain internal temperature, and ensure astronauts are easily visible for safety. Compared to the spacesuits used in the six manned Apollo lunar explorations from 1969 to 1972, this suit offers significantly improved flexibility, protection, and is equipped with special tools for scientific missions. The Apollo-era spacesuits were notoriously heavy and stiff, making movement difficult and causing astronauts to frequently fall.

Advanced spacesuit to be used in the Artemis 3 mission. Photo by NASA (YouTube capture)

Developed by the American private space company Axiom Space, this spacesuit will be worn by two of the astronauts aboard Artemis 3 when they descend to the lunar surface to explore near the lunar south pole. NASA selected this company as the developer last September with a contract worth $228.5 million. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson explained on the day, "The next-generation spacesuit developed this time is not only designed for the first time to be worn by women but also opens up opportunities for much more scientific experiments and exploration than before." Axiom Space is also developing a separate moonwalking system called AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) along with the spacesuit.

For this, NASA transferred the xEMU technology, which is based on the versatile spacesuit technology developed so far. Axiom Space has further advanced some of these technologies and added astronaut feedback on training, convenience, and mobility, as well as compatibility with other NASA systems.

NASA explained, "AxEMU provides a rich range of motion and flexibility to explore more lunar terrain," and "It is designed to fit a wide range of astronauts comfortably, covering at least 90% of the U.S. male and female population."

Going forward, Axiom Space plans to continue additional development by applying modern technology to improve life support systems, pressure garments that protect the body from external pressure, avionics systems, and more in the spacesuit.

The spacesuit is divided into extravehicular activity (EVA) suits and intravehicular activity (IVA) suits. The newly announced spacesuit is an EVA suit.

NASA plans to include women and people of color for the first time in the Artemis 3 mission. Accordingly, one of the two astronauts landing on the moon is expected to be a woman, marking humanity's first female lunar landing. Artemis is the 'goddess of the moon' in Greek mythology and the younger sister of Apollo, the god of the sun, whose name was used for the 1970s lunar landing program.

Meanwhile, according to NASA, the EVA spacesuits and the lunar lander used during the Artemis 3 mission will be abandoned in lunar orbit. This is because astronauts will use the lander to reach lunar orbit, then change out of the EVA suits into IVA suits before boarding the Orion spacecraft to return to Earth.