First images of the spacesuit for NASA's Artemis lunar mission

The last lunar charge was five decades ago, and NASA of course intends to re-clothe its astronauts for their next visit to the surface of the Earth’s satellite. Now the space suits for the mission have been presented. But the cool black look doesn’t stay.

New NASA space suit for the moon landing unveiled

There were major problems with the space suits on the Apollo mission, partly because of the nature of the moon dust, and the mobility of the astronauts was also significantly restricted by the heavy construction. Suits that are decades old are still being used on the ISS. So it’s high time to get a new space-ready wardrobe. 50 years after the last moon landing, NASA is preparing for the return to the satellite and has now revealed the first images of the space suits for the first missions.
The prototype for the Artemis lunar suits

“When NASA sends the first astronauts to explore the moon near the South Pole, the moonwalkers will wear space suits made by Axiom Space,” the US space agency said. NASA commissioned the company to develop modern suits for the Artemis mission around 10 years ago, and the first prototype was now unveiled during an event at Space Center Houston in Texas. NASA is scheduled to receive a first batch of training spacesuits this summer. The “Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit” (AxEMU), the official name of the new space suit, must be fully developed by 2025, when the first NASA astronauts are scheduled to land on the moon.

For the development, Axiom was able to draw on important experience that NASA had gained over decades with its own space suit prototypes. In addition to additional protection against the dangers of the moon, it is above all improved mobility that was a priority during development. In the most recent demonstration, the construction also allows complex movements such as knee bends or a squat – unthinkable in the suits of the Apollo mission. Last but not least, a lot of new technology has of course been integrated. The helmet is now equipped with a camera system with lights, which promises high-resolution first-person shots of the astronauts.

Black doesn’t work on the moon

However, the black suit shown at the presentation cannot land on the moon like this. To protect the astronauts from the extremely high temperatures, which rise to almost 130 degrees during the lunar day, the final suits must be completely white. So why show the prototype in black?

The simple answer: Axiom wanted this to look good when it first appeared and put a lot of effort into it: “Axiom Space worked with costume designer Esther Marquis from the Apple TV+ series ‘For All Mankind’ to create this custom cover with the Axiom Space logo and brand colors,” the company said.

Summary