NASA’s next space suit for Artemis has out-of-this-world mobility
Astronauts are flying to the Moon for the first time since 1972, and scientists are preparing special space suits for the next milestone—landing there.
An AXEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit) space suit for NASA’s Artemis The lunar landing mission, as seen during a press conference in Milan, Italy, on October 16, 2024.
Marco Bertorello/Getty Images
Early March launch for NASA’s long-planned interplanetary lunar flight Artemis II The mission will bring four astronauts closer to the Moon than any humans have been in the last 50 years. Traveling this far from Earth is an accomplishment in itself, but this mission is in some ways overshadowed by a follow-up already planned, Artemis III, Its purpose is to transport crew members to the lunar surface to usher in a new 21st century era of lunar science and exploration. There are many hurdles any Artemis astronaut must overcome before they begin walking on the Moon, perhaps the simplest but most important is figuring out what to wear.
A space suit is not so much an outfit as an anthropomorphic spacecraft. One designed for lunar surface operations must protect astronauts from dangerous cosmic radiation, extreme temperatures, lung-clogging moon dust and the harsh vacuum of space. It must contain its own supply of air, as well as water for cooling (and sometimes sipping), while also having space to carry equipment the astronauts might need while in orbit or exploring other worlds. Designing a suit that meets all these needs without limiting speed and functionality is an extremely difficult task. But long periods of time in deep space may also require difficult efforts to build lunar space station and surface outposts envisioned for future Artemis missions.
Axiom Space, a US-based space infrastructure company, has been developing a space suit For Artemis III Mission from 2022. The company unveiled it in 2024 official design for Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (XEMU); Suit tests continue. The heavy white suit looks similar in many ways to previous generations of NASA space suits. But beneath the surface, new technology promises Artemis astronauts mobility on the Moon that their Apollo-era ancestors could only dream about.
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“This is really pushing the boundaries of physics,” says Paul Spana, curator and director of collections at the Space Center Houston Museum. “There are going to be a lot of new things included in the new suit that will be used to walk around the moon Artemis III“
Like the original Apollo space suits, XEMU is designed with the unique conditions of the Moon in mind. apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has It has been told The landscape of that mission’s near-equatorial exploration site was one of “spectacular desolation”, with a non-existent atmosphere, dust all around and temperatures as hot and cold as anyone on Earth could experience or endure. The new suit may face conditions around the moon’s south pole, where Artemis astronauts will travel. even more extreme.
“This region faces unique challenges, including steep terrain, extreme temperatures, and long periods of light and darkness – far more harsh than the conditions encountered by the Apollo astronauts at the lunar equator,” says NASA spokesperson Victoria Ugalde. “The space suit will also need to function aboard various landers, rovers and spacecraft.”
To prepare for this wilderness, the new suit has strong temperature regulation and is scratch-resistant to reduce damage from jagged rocks and abrasive dust. However, the biggest change is in its flexibility. Whereas the Apollo space suit was akin to wearing an inflated balloon that significantly hindered movement, the XEMU is designed with flexible joints that provide mobility to astronauts Kneeling, jogging or even doing the splits. In addition to allowing space-suit-wearing astronauts to fit into many different vehicles, the XEMU’s increased range of motion should also make it easier to operate on the lunar surface.
The new suit’s unique additions are shaping up to be a major advancement over previous space suits, but the relatively high weight of the XEMU is still a cause for concern. Axiom Space has not disclosed the exact weight of its new suit, but it is more than previous space suits, including the Apollo suit, which weighed about 200 pounds on Earth.
NASA astronaut and doctor Mike Barrett explained that even under the Moon’s low gravity, wearing several hundred pounds still feels heavy and can even hurt. Ars Technica-Particularly because astronauts are also likely to carry tools and equipment during long surface operations. Experts say the suit’s extra weight is not ideal.
“Weight is always an important consideration in space suit design,” says NASA’s Ugalde, but she adds that the agency has “extremely high confidence” that astronauts will be able to perform mission-essential functions when the time comes to put on their suits and set foot on the moon. Then, when Artemis III When astronauts return, they will bring with them lessons learned about how the suits perform in situ, which will help lead to future, even more sophisticated generations of space suits.
“These lessons will shape future Artemis missions, expanding operational range and enhancing crew capabilities,” says Ugalde. “Each step forward moves toward NASA’s goal of a sustained human presence on the Moon as a step toward Mars.”
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