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[b]NASA Empowers Industry in Spacesuit Plan for Artemis, Space Station[/b] Artemis moonwalkers exploring on the lunar South Pole will wear revolutionary spacesuits that stand up to the Moon's harsh environment and keep them safe. NASA is embracing commercial partnerships to optimize spacesuit technology and inspire pioneering in the space market. NASA published a draft request for proposal (RFP) July 27 to ready companies to compete for the agency's future purchase of commercially built spacesuits and support services for spacewalks on the International Space Station, during Artemis lunar surface missions, and as needed on Gateway in lunar orbit. Building on more than 55 years of lessons learned during spacewalks, Johnson Space Center will continue NASA's in-house effort to develop and test the current exploration spacesuit design – known as the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or xEMU – in parallel with the commercial procurement. NASA will make data available from its design and development work for use by commercial companies. By uniting with commercial industry partners, the space economy will expand and propel forward, ultimately revolutionizing the human experience in space. "This collaboration is one of many ways NASA is uniting with commercial and international partners to enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Building on our storied history of successful spacewalks in low-Earth orbit and previously on the Moon during Apollo, NASA is leaning on industry to bolster the market, foster innovation, and incorporate cutting-edge technologies that will keep astronauts safe beyond the security of their outposts — to truly kick up dust and explore." NASA will collaborate with one or more U.S. companies to design, build, demonstrate, certify, and deliver xEVA systems and services capable of meeting NASA's technical, reliability, and availability needs. The commercial partner or partners will also train crewmembers on their systems and support system operations during spacewalks. In April, NASA announced its intent to establish public-private partnerships for spacesuits and services and issued a request for information asking for industry feedback to inform its new strategy. Partnering with commercial industry paves the way for cost savings and makes it increasingly viable for private citizens and industry to join the endeavor as customers or providers. "Decades of spacewalking experience and lessons learned have equipped us to revolutionize spacewalk technologies," said Chris Hansen, manager of the Extravehicular Activity – or spacewalk – office at NASA Johnson. "Our insights paired with the innovative commercial technologies will accelerate the development of modern spacesuits and capabilities." NASA plans to achieve one or more spacewalk demonstrations with the new suit as early as 2023, with the full suite of commercial spacewalk services available following the demonstration. As commercial private space travel opportunities expand, this approach to spacesuit development aims to foster innovations in design, manufacturing, and purchasing so that NASA is just one of many customers in the marketplace. While a commercial approach is a new method for spacesuits, NASA is successfully using this public-private partnership strategy today for launch services and both crew and cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. NASA is also leveraging industry partnerships for other key Artemis elements, including human landing system services and Gateway deep space logistics services. "When the next American astronauts step foot on the Moon as a part of Artemis, they will make history in a spacesuit that provides greater mobility over its Apollo and space station spacesuit predecessors, enabling us to expand our footprint and achieve modern scientific discoveries while exploring new territory," Hansen said. The draft RFP is available online. Responses are due Aug. 17, 2021, and will inform the formal solicitation, which is expected for release this Fall. The opportunity is open to all of industry, and NASA anticipates making one or more awards in Spring 2022.
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