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NASA unveils elegant new spacesuits for Moon landing

Updated on: 16 March 2023

Justinas Vainilavičius
Senior Journalist

axiom_axemu_full_2 — Image by Axiom Space

Paris Fashion Week might be over, but some otherworldly designs have been revealed in Houston, Texas.

When the next generation of astronauts land on the Moon, they will be wearing spacesuits fit for a new age of space travel.

While the purpose of the spacesuit is to protect an astronaut from space hazards, the presentation at Space Center Houston was also a fashion moment.

If the costume looks stylish enough to be part of a sleek space-theme movie set, it’s because it almost is.

Its removable dark-toned outer layer, adorned with colorful details, is the creation of costume designer Esther Marquis from Apple TV+ series For All Mankind.

The rest is the work of Axiom Space, a private Houston-based company, tasked by NASA to create spacesuits for its upcoming Artemis III mission to the lunar south pole.

The mission will bring humans back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years and will see the first woman and first person of color walk on the lunar surface.

“Axiom’s next generation spacesuits will not only enable the first woman to walk on the Moon, but they will also open opportunities for more people to explore and conduct science on the Moon than ever before," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

Called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, the spacesuit builds on years of NASA research and uses the latest technology to offer astronauts enhanced mobility and added protection from hazards on the Moon.

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The final version of the spacesuit will be all-white for the actual mission to the Moon to reflect and protect astronauts from extreme high temperatures.

The dark-toned cover layer is used for display purposes only, to conceal the suit’s proprietary design.

“Axiom Space’s Artemis III spacesuit will be ready to meet the complex challenges of the lunar south pole and help grow our understanding of the Moon in order to enable a long-term presence there,” said Michael Suffredini, head of Axiom Space.

Axiom Space said it will deliver a “full fleet” of training spacesuits to NASA by the end of summer.

The Axiom III mission is scheduled for 2025 and should kickstart a new phase of lunar exploration to prepare for the eventual expedition to Mars.