Axiom Space Unveils Prototype Of Spacesuit Astronauts Will Wear For NASA's Artemis III Lunar Mission

Space infrastructure company Axiom Space, on Wednesday, unveiled the prototype of the spacesuit that astronauts will wear during NASA's Artemis III mission. This is NASA’s first human mission to the lunar south pole.

What Happened: Axiom Space revealed the prototype of the spacesuit called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, during the Space Center Houston's Moon 2 Mars Festival in Texas. Axiom will deliver a full fleet of training spacesuits to NASA by late this summer.

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"Building on NASA's years of research and expertise, Axiom's next generation spacesuits will not only enable the first woman to walk on the Moon, but they will also open opportunities for more people to explore and conduct science on the Moon than ever before,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.

Why It’s Important: The spacesuits have been designed with several features, such as enhanced flexibility, greater protection to endure the harsh conditions in space and specialized tools to support exploration needs and enable scientific advancements, according to a statement by Axion.

A prototype of the spacesuit features a cover in a darker gradient, made in collaboration with costume designer Esther Marquis. However, the spacesuit intended for use on the Moon will be white, as it is better suited to withstand the high temperatures.

Artemis III is scheduled for 2025 and aims at landing the first women and person of color on the Moon. In 2021, NASA selected Elon Musk‘s SpaceX to provide the human landing system that will transport Artemis III astronauts from the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back again. 

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