"SpaceX could do that if necessary."Suit UpAccording to the Office of Inspector General, NASA's lunar-grade spacesuits will not be ready for the 2024 Moon landing.It states that a lunar landing at the end of 2024, as NASA currently intends, is unlikely due to delays in spacesuit design.If SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is involved, there might be some hope.Musk responded to the audit by tweeting that SpaceX could perform it.AdvertisementAdvertisementMusk is Musk making empty claims? This wouldn't be the first. NASA's efforts to meet its ambitious deadlines are still failing, and it is possible that NASA will need to rely on the help of the private sector, whether or not it wants to.SpaceX DudsSpaceX has created spacesuits that can be worn on multiple missions to space. However, the sleek black-and white suits are not designed for extra-vehicular spacewalks or navigating hostile surfaces of another planet.NASA has already begun to work with private sector players to develop a suit that could be available by 2024. According to a statement, NASA published a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) in July asking for commercially-made spacesuits and support services to be developed for spacewalks at the International Space Station.Why is NASA's spacesuit so late? The audit revealed that the cost of developing the suit and testing it is rising rapidly and will likely rise to over $1 billion by 2025. Delays were also attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Office of Inspector General.AdvertisementAdvertisementSpaceX is already heavily involved in NASA's efforts to return the Moon to life. SpaceX was awarded a contract worth $2.9 billion to design a lunar landing variant of Starship's spacecraft, which will ferry NASA astronauts to lunar surface.It is not clear if they will be wearing SpaceX-designed suits. As NASA has shown, designing such a suit can be a difficult task.READ MORE: Elon Musk proposes to SpaceX to build NASA spacesuits after a watchdog said the program would cost $1 billion [CNBC]SpaceX: Elon Musk approves Render of Two Starships.AdvertisementAdvertisement
