As NASA gears up to send four astronauts on a crewed flight around the moon in the imminent Artemis II mission, Axiom Space is carefully preparing its AxEMU spacesuit for the highly anticipated endeavor that will follow.
Artemis III, which NASA is targeting for no earlier than 2027, will land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
Axiom Space has been tasked by NASA to build the next-generation spacesuit that will allow the two as-yet-unnamed astronauts to safely walk on the surface of Earth’s natural satellite.
Keen to keep space fans up to date with its work, the Texas-based company recently released a new video (below) showing the new spacesuit being put through its paces.
“The AxEMU provides mobility never seen before,” Axiom Space says in a comment about the video. To ram home the point, the company includes a photo of someone doing the splits in the new spacesuit.
The AxEMU spacesuit features a number of important improvements compared to the Apollo-era A7L spacesuit.
As Axiom Space itself said, mobility enhancements are front and center, with greater joint flexibility enabling moves such as squatting, kneeling, and picking up objects like rocks — moves that were extremely challenging in the much stiffer Apollo suit.
Helpfully, the new suit’s Earth weight is 20 pounds (9 kg) lighter than the old moon spacesuit, offering a small but perceptible weight reduction for the wearer when experiencing the moon’s lower gravity pull.
The new suit also supports up to eight hours of lunar surface activities, longer than the Apollo suits, which allowed for lunar exploration of between four and seven hours for regular operations. The extended time has been made possible thanks to the new backpack’s life support setup, which features improved systems for cooling and air, as well as for delivering food and water.
Other important benefits include the suit’s ability to withstand the extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole, while also offering protection from abrasive lunar regolith.
“The development of these next-generation spacesuits is a significant milestone in furthering American leadership in space exploration, and enabling a deeper understanding of the moon, the solar system, and beyond,” Axiom Space says on its website.
NASA is relying on SpaceX for the Starship spacecraft that will deliver the Artemis III astronauts to the lunar surface, but work on preparing the massive rocket is still ongoing. This year is a crucial one for the Starship vehicle’s development, and any serious issues could force NASA to delay its long-awaited crewed return to the moon.