The large, puffy white suits worn by astronaut Neil Armstrong and his colleagues during their trip to the moon as part of the Apollo program over half a century ago have become outdated, as modern spacesuits need designs that adapt to the body's shape and fit both men and women. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the "prototype of a newly designed spacesuit, specifically for the first mission of astronauts expected to land on the moon in the coming years."
The latest design for the moon mission suit was showcased at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, during an event organized for the media and students, hosted by Axiom Space, based in Texas, which NASA tasked with creating spacesuits for astronauts participating in the Artemis program, the successor to the Apollo moon missions.
The Artemis 1 mission, which was the first launch of NASA's new powerful rocket and the newly built Orion spacecraft in an uncrewed test flight that orbited the moon and returned, successfully concluded in December. NASA and the Canadian Space Agency are set to announce on April 3 the four astronauts selected for the upcoming Artemis 2 mission, which is expected to launch possibly next year. This mission will also involve orbiting the moon before returning to Earth.
If this mission is successful, it will pave the way for the Artemis 3 mission, during which astronauts will land on the moon's surface, marking the first-ever trip to its southern pole, scheduled for later in this decade. This mission will also be notable as it will send the first woman to walk on the moon. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has stated that "the new spacesuits will provide opportunities for more people to explore and conduct scientific studies on the moon's surface than ever before."
