A prototype of the commercial spacesuit that U.S. astronauts plan to wear during the next mission to land on the moon was unveiled on Wednesday (March 15). Unlike the iconic garments worn by the Apollo astronauts more than 50 years, this new suit is a "rental" — designed, built and soon to be leased to the space agency by Axiom Space, a space services company.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54878 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
The history-making spacesuits worn by the first woman and next American astronaut to walk on the moon will be abandoned on a SpaceX lunar lander rather than be returned to Earth for their reuse or museum display.
Axiom Space, the Houston-based space services company selected by NASA to design, build and furnish the spacesuits for the 2025 Artemis III lunar landing mission, unveiled a prototype of its lunar garb during a press event at Space Center Houston on Wednesday (March 15). Axiom president and CEO Michael Suffredini and Mark Greeley, the company's program manager for extravehicular activity, spoke about the fate of the Artemis III spacesuits in a brief interview.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54878 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
A new partnership is taking the concept of haute couture to new heights.
Axiom Space, a Houston-based spaceflight services company, has joined forces with the Italian luxury fashion house Prada to design the spacesuits for the next astronauts to walk on the moon.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54878 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-21-2024 08:14 AM
Axiom Space release
Axiom Space and Nokia Partner to Enable High-Speed Cellular Network Capabilities in Next-Gen Lunar Spacesuits
Axiom Space has partnered with Nokia to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission.
Together, Nokia and Axiom Space will incorporate high-speed cellular-network capabilities in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), supporting HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometers on the Moon. This advancement will enable Artemis III crewmembers to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar surface.
"Axiom Space is excited to work with Nokia to build on the advanced capabilities of our next-generation spacesuit," said Russell Ralston, Axiom Space executive vice president of extravehicular activity. "Adding high-speed 4G/LTE network capability on the Moon will serve as a vital bridge linking astronauts to Earth, facilitating crucial data exchange, and enabling high-definition video communication over long distances."
Nokia plans to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to be delivered to the launch site in 2024. During that mission, Nokia aims to demonstrate that cellular connectivity can facilitate crucial communications during future lunar or Mars missions. Nokia's Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), pioneered by Nokia Bell Labs' research and innovation, will be deployed during IM-2 and will be further adapted for use in the AxEMU spacesuit.
"Just as astronauts will need life support, shelter and food, they will need advanced networks to communicate with each other and go about their crucial work," said Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia. "Bell Labs has a long history of working on space projects, and Nokia is a leader in designing and building networks that connect the world. We are taking advantage of the same standards-based technologies that connect billions of devices on Earth every day, while bringing new innovation and technologies to bear on the specific challenges encountered in space."
The fully autonomous LSCS has two components: a network-in-a-box combines the radio, base station and core network elements of a terrestrial cellular network into a single unit, and device modules that will be integrated into the AxEMU spacesuits. Both the network and device modules have been carefully engineered to withstand the extreme environmental conditions on the lunar surface and the dynamic stress of spaceflight, and have been optimized for size, weight and power consumption.
Axiom Space was recently awarded $57.5 million from NASA to make this 4G/LTE network modification to the lunar spacesuit for the Artemis III mission, building upon its first Artemis task order in 2022, valued at $228 million.
Axiom Space's spacesuits will provide astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA with commercially developed human systems needed to access, live, and work on and around the Moon.
Axiom Space's development of these next-generation spacesuits and Nokia's lunar surface communications innovations are significant advancements toward furthering American leadership in space exploration, enabling a deeper understanding of the Moon, the solar system, and beyond.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54878 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
The next U.S. astronauts to walk on the moon will do so in style.
Axiom Space, a Houston-based spaceflight services company, and Italian luxury fashion house Prada have revealed the outer layer of the spacesuit to be worn on NASA's first Artemis mission to land humans on the lunar surface. The unveiling occurred at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54878 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-09-2025 10:25 AM
Axiom Space release
Axiom Space's Next-Gen Spacesuit is Crew Tested for First Time in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab
In June, Koichi Wakata, Axiom Space astronaut and Chief Technology Officer, was the first to test the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).
Above: Axiom Space conducted the first crewed test of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) in June. Koichi Wakata, Axiom Space astronaut and Chief Technology Officer, simulated planting the American flag on the lunar surface during the test in the NBL. (NASA)
The Axiom Space-developed spacesuit will enable astronauts to explore the Moon for the first time in over 50 years as part of the Artemis III mission to the lunar south pole.
The tests were first conducted with Wakata, followed by NASA spacesuit engineers Kristine Davis and Richard Rhodes and focused on the integration of the AxEMU into the NBL facility. The NBL is one of the world's largest indoor pools, used for astronaut training and mission preparation, allowing astronauts to simulate lunar surface tasks in partial gravity or spacewalks in zero gravity.
Above: Wakata enters the pool to test out the AxEMU for the first time in the NBL’s 1/6th lunar gravity environment. (Axiom Space)
The Axiom Space Extravehicular Activity (EVA) program team tested the operations and capabilities of the communications, breathing, and cooling systems of the spacesuit in the pool. The team worked to familiarize the NBL divers with the AxEMU's operations and support systems.
In preparation of the Artemis III mission, Axiom Space and NASA's Artemis Program teams will continue to conduct tests in the NBL to train for EVA tasks on the lunar surface.
The AxEMU continues to undergo extensive testing to ensure it will be ready to support Artemis III. This year, the EVA program team accomplished several key achievements, including completing its first three crewed tests in the NBL; 23 tests in NASA's Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) that provides a simulated reduced gravity environment; multiple field evaluations using lunar tools; and lunar regolith challenge testing demonstrating that the suit exceeds its mission requirements in this area. The spacesuit continues to undergo integrated tests with the Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTVs) and is scheduled to enter the Critical Design Review (CDR) later this year.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54878 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
Oakley is going from the ski slopes and sports fields on Earth to the craters and ridges on the moon.
The high-performance sunglasses company has been chosen to provide the visor system for the next spacesuit to be worn on the lunar surface. The Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, will incorporate Oakey's advanced optical technology into its deployable two-part visor to provide astronauts with clearer and farther vision while exploring the moon's south pole.
posted 03-15-2023 08:00 AM
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