NASA's upcoming Artemis moon missions got a new spacesuit from Axiom

NASA plans to use this type of spacesuit for its astronauts during the Artemis missions, which are scheduled for launch at the end of the decade, according to a prototype disclosed by Axiom Space on Wednesday.

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“The fact that Axiom has been selected by NASA to partner with them is a big deal for us,” said Michael Suffredini, President and CEO of Axiom.

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“It’s a great pleasure for us that humanity is going to be able to take its next steps on the moon in an Axiom spacesuit in the near future,” Suffredini added.

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Last year, the company was awarded an initial contract worth $228.5 million to design and build the spacesuits, which are slated to be used on the Artemis III mission and beyond. Artemis is an escalating series of missions that NASA has been embarking on as part of its Artemis program. This was the first time an uncrewed flight was conducted by the agency, and it was successful.

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Furthermore, NASA has awarded a contract for the construction of next-generation spacesuits to Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of Raytheon, in addition to Axiom. Through the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services program of NASA, NASA expects to invest up to $3.5 billion in the development, production, and use of spacesuits through the year 2034