The next spacesuits will be developed by two private U.S. companies and will be ready no earlier than 2025. American astronauts are getting brand-new suits to wear on the International Space Station, as well as during future journeys to the Moon and possibly Mars. The space agency announced today that it is awarding contracts to two companies to build suits that could be worth over $3 billion.
The contracts allow the two companies to compete. The first orders for suits to be worn by astronauts on the International Space Station and for astronauts taking part in the planned Artemis missions to the Moon are already in place. As the private space engineering market grows, the agency can add more vendors to the contract.
Lindsay Aitchison, program executive for Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at NASA, said during a press briefing earlier today thatsuits have been a critical part of every part of human spaceflight programs.
NASA's current model of spacesuits has some issues. The space agency has put spacewalks outside the space station on hold after a series of potentially life-threatening incidents of water leaking into astronauts' helmets. According to a report, only 18 usable spacesuits are currently available on the International Space Station, and they are more than 40 years old. According to Aitchison, NASA is investigating the faulty spacesuits and devising techniques to alleviate the issue until the new spacesuits are available for use.
Data from previous spacewalks and ground-based testing of the spacesuits will be provided by NASA to assist companies in the development of new models. The partners will use the spacesuits for their own ventures. The commercial space station will be designed to house space tourists and host scientific research.
As the agency tries to pull commercial to start doing things, it has been about helping commercial develop so that they can provide a product that the agency can buy.
NASA's commercial partners want to provide the spacesuits for the Artemis 3 mission to the lunar surface by the year 2025. The current spacesuits on the International Space Station have an extended life warranty that will last to 2028, but the new suits should arrive at the station sooner than that. The crew of the Artemis 2 mission won't be wearing the new suits on their journey to the moon, according to the timelines for the new spacesuits.
NASA's Artemis Moon Landing Program: launches, timelines, and more.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
