Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype space suit Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Moonwalking astronauts will have slimmer, more flexible spacesuits that come in a variety of sizes when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade.
Exactly what that looked like was kept under wraps. The company developing the next-generation spacesuits, Axiom Space, said Wednesday that it plans to have new versions for NASA for training purposes later this summer.
The lunar suits will be as white as they were during NASA’s Apollo program more than half a century ago, according to the company. This allows them to reflect heat and keep future moonwalkers cool.
The suits offer greater flexibility and more protection from the harsh environment of the moon, and will be available in a wider range of sizes, according to the Houston-based company.
NASA awarded Axiom Space a $228.5 million contract to provide equipment for the first lunar landing in more than 50 years. The space agency is aiming to land two astronauts on the moon’s south pole by the end of 2025 at the earliest.
Axiom Space chief engineer Jim Stein, left, demonstrates a prototype space suit as astronaut Peggy Whitson (right) talks about the new suit in Houston on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype space suit Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype space suit Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein, left, greets children during a demonstration Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype space suit Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype space suit Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
Axiom Space Chief Engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype space suit Wednesday, March 15, 2023 in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. Credit: AP Photo/David J Phillip
At Wednesday’s event in Houston, an Axiom employee modeled a dark space suit, doing squats and twisting at the waist to demonstrate flexibility. The company said the final version will be different, including the color.
“I didn’t want anyone to mess that up,” said Axiom’s Russell Ralston.
