A 21st-century moon suit: Axiom Space's lunar spacesuit sports 4G comms, Prada looks and Oakley visors for Artemis astronauts

image via Space.com

October 16, 2024, 9:00 PM

• •Axiom Space and Prada have unveiled a new spacesuit for NASA's Artemis 3 mission
• •The AxEMU spacesuit is designed for the lunar south pole and will be worn by the first woman and first person of color to walk on the moon
• •The suit has been tested in vacuum chambers and reduced-gravity environments and will be ready for the 2026 mission

Axiom Space and Prada unveiled the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit in a press conference held at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan. AxEMU will be used for NASA's Artemis 3 mission, which is currently scheduled to launch in late 2026. It has been specially designed for the lunar south pole, which will be a colder environment than astronauts experienced on the Apollo missions. The new spacesuit incorporates multiple redundant systems and an onboard diagnostic system to ensure safety for crewmembers, according to Axiom. It features lights and an HD camera on the helmet, 4G/LTE communication, a suit control interface, biometric monitoring, regenerable carbon dioxide scrubbing and portable life support to keep astronauts safe for up to eight hours. It can also accommodate a wide range of crewmembers, male or female.

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