NASA is evaluating a new generation of spacesuits built by Texas-based aerospace company Axiom Space, as the agency moves closer to returning astronauts to the moon’s surface in 2028. The suits are designed for the Artemis III mission, which targets the lunar South Pole and would mark the first human lunar landing in more than 55 years.
The hardware in question is the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, engineered to give astronauts greater flexibility and mobility while navigating the lunar surface and collecting geological samples. Axiom Space completed its own internal review of the suits earlier this month, handing evaluation responsibilities over to NASA.
Hundreds of Hours of Testing
The suits have already logged more than 850 hours of pressurised testing with crew members inside them. Part of that process includes underwater drills in a pool approximately 12 metres deep, where two NASA crew members practice emergency rescue procedures while wearing the suits.
The underwater environment serves a practical purpose. The suits are weighted to simulate lunar gravity, which is roughly one-sixth of Earth’s gravitational pull, allowing astronauts to train under conditions that approximate what they will face on the surface.
“This achievement reflects our shared commitment to deliver a safe, capable lunar spacesuit that will enable astronauts to explore the Moon’s surface,” said Lara Kearney, manager of the extravehicular activity and human surface mobility programme at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
What Artemis III Demands
The Artemis III mission carries significant technical requirements. The lunar South Pole presents conditions distinct from the equatorial regions visited during the Apollo missions, including permanently shadowed craters and extreme temperature variation. A spacesuit failure in that environment carries far higher consequences than in low Earth orbit.
Axiom Space, headquartered in Texas, secured the NASA contract to develop next-generation lunar spacesuits as part of the agency’s broader commercial spaceflight strategy. The company’s suit is intended to replace the decades-old designs that supported Apollo and later shuttle-era operations.
- Over 850 hours of pressurised suit testing completed to date
- Testing pool depth: approximately 12 metres
- Suits weighted to replicate lunar gravity (one-sixth of Earth’s)
- Artemis III target launch: 2028
- Mission destination: lunar South Pole
NASA’s evaluation phase will determine whether the suits meet mission readiness standards ahead of Artemis III. The review follows Axiom Space’s own internal sign-off, meaning the suits are now subject to the agency’s independent assessment before any formal certification for flight.
Astronaut safety drives every stage of this process. Getting people back to the moon is not simply a matter of launching a rocket; the equipment worn by the crew on the surface represents one of the most technically demanding components of the entire mission.
Photo by Vitor Machado on Unsplash
This article is a curated summary based on third-party sources. Source: Read the original article
