440Axiom Space representatives have unveiled a prototype commercial space suit for landing astronauts on the moon called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit.
It will be used during the Artemis-3 mission, which is to be sent to the Moon in 2025. NASA will begin testing it in the summer of 2023.
At Axiom Space, they stress that the suit meets the highest safety requirements and that the risk of failure during missions is minimal. In addition, the company's engineers worked to increase astronauts’ mobility, and the developers of the final model added the ability to adjust the size of the suit. Moreover, it can withstand interaction with lunar dust, will be able to broadcast first-person video to Earth and will allow the astronaut to work comfortably in the shadowy areas of the Moon. Furthermore, the suit is designed for the entire period and conditions of the lunar station’s construction.
At the same time, not a single spacesuit will return to Earth since astronauts will leave all of them on board the Starship in the moon orbit. The suit will also fly separately from the astronauts, who will be delivered to the Earth's satellite by the Orion spacecraft. Interestingly, it’s been over 53 years since the last Moon landing.
It’s worth noting that developing space suits is very expensive. Following a $1.26 billion contract to design space suits, the government signed another document for an additional $228 million transfer to Axiom Space.
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