NASA selects two private companies to develop new spacesuits

NASA will need new spacesuits for the Artemis mission. So on June 1, NASA announced that it had selected private companies Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to develop a spacesuit called EVA. It should be suitable for astronauts of different sizes, both men and women. Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace will also create EVA systems for work outside the International Space Station, exploration of the lunar surface as part of the Artemis mission and preparation for human flights to Mars.

The companies were selected as a result of a contract request for "xEMU" equipment (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit). The agreement allows selected suppliers to compete for orders until 2034. The contract based on milestones has a combined maximum potential value of $3.5 billion across all tasks. The first tasks will include the development and maintenance of the first demonstration outside a space station in low Earth orbit and a moon landing (Artemis III). Each partner will invest in the development of a significant amount of their own funds. They will be able to get spacesuits and explore other non-NASA commercial applications.

Experts from the US Aerospace Agency have determined the technical and safety standards by which the suits will be built. And commercial partners will design, develop, qualify, certify and manufacture spacesuits and support equipment for the space station and Artemis missions. Dan Burbank of Collins noted that his company's spacesuit can be "resized" in about 30 minutes. And development will be done in partnership with ILC Dover and Oceaneering.

The Artemis Moon program aims to land humans on the lunar surface in 2025, with astronauts ending up spending weeks or months on the lunar surface on missions expected to launch once a year between 2027 and 2027. years to the 2030s.

Source: www.engadget.com