CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits that come in different sizes when they land on the lunar surface later this decade.
Exactly what that looks like remained under wraps. The company that designs next-generation spacesuits, Axiom Space, said Wednesday that it plans to have new versions for NASA training purposes later this summer.
The lunar suits will be white as they were during NASA’s Apollo program more than half a century ago, according to the company. That’s so they can reflect heat and keep future moonwalkers cool.
The suits will provide greater flexibility and better protection against the moon’s harsh environment, and will come in a wider range of sizes, according to the Houston-based company.
NASA awarded Axiom Space a $228.5 million contract to provide the equipment for the first moon landing in more than 50 years. The space agency is targeting late 2025 at the earliest to land two astronauts on the moon’s south pole.
At Wednesday’s event in Houston, an Axiom employee modeled a dark spacesuit, doing squats and twisting at the waist to demonstrate his flexibility. The company said that the final version will be different, including the color.
“I didn’t want anyone to get confused,” said Axiom’s Russell Ralston.