WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — NASA has chosen Axiom Space to ship a moonwalking system for the Artemis III mission, which can land Americans on the floor of the Moon for the primary time in over 50 years. This award – the primary one beneath a aggressive spacesuits contract – is for a job order to develop a subsequent era Artemis spacesuit and supporting programs, and to display their use on the lunar floor throughout Artemis III.
With this award, NASA has put in place one other cornerstone of returning astronauts to the Moon beneath Artemis to help continued scientific breakthroughs, benefiting humanity again on Earth. As a part of its deliberate human lunar spaceflight missions, NASA will land the primary girl and first particular person of coloration on the Moon.
After reviewing proposals from its two eligible spacesuit vendors, NASA chosen Axiom Space for the duty order, which has a base worth of $228.5 million. A future job order will probably be competed for recurring spacesuit providers to help subsequent Artemis missions.
“NASA is proud to partner with commercial industry on this historic mission that will kickstart the United States building a lasting presence on the surface of the Moon,” mentioned Lara Kearney, supervisor of NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program. “What we learn on Artemis III and future missions on and around the Moon will pave the way for missions to Mars. Spacesuits enable us to literally take that next step.”
Using greater than 50 years of spacesuit experience, NASA outlined the technical and security necessities for the following era of spacesuits. Axiom Space will probably be accountable for the design, growth, qualification, certification, and manufacturing of its spacesuits and help tools that can meet these key company necessities for Artemis III.
NASA specialists will keep the authority for astronaut coaching, mission planning, and approval of the service programs. Axiom Space will probably be required to check the fits in a spacelike setting earlier than Artemis III.
Under the indefinite supply and indefinite amount of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services contract, eligible business companions compete for job orders that can present a full suite of capabilities for NASA’s spacewalking and moonwalking wants throughout the interval of efficiency via 2034.
Future job orders beneath the contract will encompass recurring lunar landings, the event of spacesuits for use in low-Earth orbit exterior the International Space Station, and particular research. The company is at the moment evaluating job order choices for area station spacesuits.
The spacesuits contract, which can advance spacewalking capabilities in low-Earth orbit and on the Moon, is managed by the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program (EHP) on the company’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Through Artemis, NASA will land the primary girl and the primary particular person of coloration on the Moon, paving the way in which for a long-term, sustainable lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for future astronaut missions to Mars.
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SOURCE NASA
