Thanks in part to the advanced spacesuits that astronauts will wear as they step back onto the lunar surface, NASA’s Artemis III mission is set to put humans back on the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. Axiom Space has recently revealed a prototype of the new spacesuit, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), at the Moon 2 Mars Festival held at the Space Center Houston. The final version of AxEMU will likely have a few updates and be all-white in color to reflect heat and protect astronauts from the extreme temperatures of space.
Mark Greeley, Axiom Space Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Program Manager, stated that their team is prepared to deliver NASA with the next-generation spacesuit that is specifically designed for the Moon and for Axiom Space’s future customers. Axiom Space will provide NASA with a full fleet of training spacesuits packed with advanced capabilities for space exploration and commercially developed systems required for Moon missions. A recent press release also confirmed this.
Axiom Space President and CEO, Michael T. Suffredini, emphasized that their Artemis III spacesuit, the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), will meet the complex challenges of the lunar south pole and enhance our knowledge of the Moon to enable long-term human presence there.
With Artemis III, space exploration will enter a new era, marking the first step in NASA’s plan to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface and expand to other destinations like Mars. Lara Kearney, the manager of NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program, affirmed that NASA is leading the way to support a growing space economy by utilizing industry capabilities and NASA’s expertise to offer moonwalking services safely, effectively, and efficiently. The Artemis program seeks to achieve another milestone by landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon, while also paving the way for future space exploration. In 2025, Artemis III astronauts wearing AxEMU spacesuits are expected to land near the lunar south pole to explore and broaden our understanding of the Moon.
