When Artemis III lands on the Moon, the astronauts that descend from the Starship HLS will become the first people to walk on the lunar surface in decades. And now, we know what they'll be wearing when they do it. Axiom Space has spent the last two years working on a new suit known as the Axiom Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), and it says the design is now nearing completion. It's now showing off the (probably) final design, which it created in partnership with Prada.
This is not the first time Axiom's suit has been seen -- the company has shown off prototype versions in the past, but those suits were covered in dark materials. Axiom says that was done to hide proprietary details of the design. In space, materials need to be lightly colored, otherwise they can become dangerously hot when exposed to sunlight. The white outer layer shown here is designed for Artemis lunar missions and should look similar to the final production version.
Axiom Space says the AxEMU is vastly more capable than the suits astronauts used in the Apollo era. There are redundant life support systems and health monitoring that would have been unfathomable in the Apollo era. It also has new cooling technology and a regenerable carbon dioxide scrubbing system. Axiom promises more advanced materials for the visor and helmet, making it easier for wearers to remain aware of their surroundings. The gloves are custom in-house designs that allow for greater dexterity than previous suits.
Astronauts should also find the AxEMU much more comfortable to wear while exploring and conducting scientific experiments. Some of this flexibility is thanks to Axiom's partnership with Prada, which provided textile and clothing experts to help craft the suit. Prada helped Axiom choose materials and design innovative new sewing methods to connect the white outer fabric layer to the precisely engineered interior of the AxEMU. "For the first time, we are leveraging expertise in other industries to craft a better solution for space," says Axiom Executive VP Russell Ralston.
Axiom Space has designed the AxEMU to operate for up to eight hours on the lunar surface. The design has passed an initial pressure test with NASA and SpaceX, showing that it can perform the most basic function of a spacesuit for that length of time. It has also been tested in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) and in reduced gravity simulations at NASA's Johnson Space Center. There are still more tests to perform, though. The company hopes to enter the critical design review phase in 2025, which would clear it to begin producing suits for use in space.
The well-documented issues with the Space Launch System are not the only threat to keeping Artemis on schedule. NASA has also struggled to get the new spacesuits into production. Initially, the agency hoped to have two commercial partners producing suits, contracting with Axiom and Collins Aerospace. However, the latter announced earlier this year that it was abandoning its spacesuit design. That means the AxEMU could be the only next-gen suit in NASA's wardrobe. Axiom notes that the current design is configured for lunar surface missions, but it's possible to refit the AxEMU for use in low Earth orbit.