NASA presents a new spacesuit for Artemis III lunar mission

NASA presents a new spacesuit for Artemis III lunar mission

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17 March 2023

Last year NASA commissioned Axiom Space to design and produce the new space suit that will be worn by the crew of the Artemis III mission and now the official presentation has taken place at Space Center Houston's Moon 2 Mars Festival.

Axiom Space unveiled the AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) suit, which is based on an older NASA concept (xEMU) and is designed primarily for use on the surface of the Moon, since that will be the destination of the Artemis III manned mission which, if all goes well, will take place in 2025.

The suit we see is black, but in its final form it will be coated with a special white heat-reflecting material to protect the astronauts from the extreme temperatures near the lunar equator (up to 120° a day). This is why the Artemis III mission will land at the much colder south pole of our satellite.

Although not all the technical details have been revealed, NASA has stressed that the suit includes a host of motion sensors, an HD camera and lights in the helmet, while protection against extreme temperatures and lunar dust also covers the boots that the astronauts will wear. In addition, it's designed with several active joints for much greater flexibility of movement, as well as adaptability to 90% of men and women's body types.

The Artemis III mission will bring humanity back to the Moon since Apollo 13 in 1972 and will also be the first mission to include a man and woman of colour on board. The stay on the Moon will last just a few days, during which four walks will be carried out by the two astronauts (the other two will remain in the Orion capsule) to collect samples.


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