In 2026, NASA plans to land humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972. Times have changed, as evidenced by new rockets, spacecraft, and spacesuits.
In preparation for the Artemis 3 moon-landing mission, two astronauts in late April donned Axiom Space’s new spacesuits and for the first time tested a mock version of the vehicle that will carry them to the moon.
Scientists and engineers say the test — the first of its kind since the Apollo era — provides feedback on how well the spacecraft, which is being built by NASA, is working. AxiomsThe team worked with a test version of SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS), NASA’s preferred vehicle to ferry astronauts to and from the Moon during the Artemis 3 mission. They were able to estimate the layout of the HLS, including its layout, physical design, and clearances, according to a report. NASA statement,
The three-hour test, conducted at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, was also useful in assessing the spacesuit’s flexibility and the ease of donning and exiting it with minimal assistance before being placed in the airlock.
The two astronauts, Peggy Whitson of Axiom Space and Doug Wheelock of NASA, wore spacesuits in a full-scale mockup of the airlock located on Starship’s airlock deck. According to a report, each spacesuit also included a full-scale “backpack” model of the portable life support system. statement By Axiom.
During the test, the astronauts interacted with a control panel in the airlock to ensure the controls were within reach and could be activated while wearing gloves, NASA said. They also practiced using a test elevator that will transport astronauts and their equipment from the Starship deck to the surface of the moon for moonwalks during Artemis program missions.
“Overall, I was pleased with the astronauts’ ability to operate the control panels and perform the difficult tasks they will need to perform before stepping foot on the Moon,” Logan Kennedy, chief of surface activities for NASA’s HLS program, said in a NASA statement. “The test also confirmed that the amount of space available in the airlock, deck and elevator is adequate for the work our astronauts will perform.”
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In March last year, NASA and Axiom revealed A prototype of the spacesuit, the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is being designed to be worn by astronauts during flight and on the moon. Axiom said in its statement that the company has moved past the initial design review point with NASA and will enter a critical design review phase later this year.
“Integrated tests like this, with key programs and partners working together, are critical to ensuring systems function smoothly and are safe and effective for astronauts before taking the next step to the Moon,” Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s Moon to Mars program manager, said in a NASA statement.
In April, Axiom Tested one of the abandoned spacesuits in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, for which the company added weights to the suit to mimic the moon’s environment, where gravity is just one-sixth that of Earth. Soon, an astronaut will wear the suit for the first-ever test in water, the company said in its latest statement.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s ride for astronauts to the moon, Starship, is being developed to be fully reusable, to help make economically viable trips to the moon and eventually Mars. On Friday (June 7), the company moved closer to that goal by launching a new program. Successful fourth test flight This resulted in a smooth landing of both the spacecraft’s Super Heavy booster and Starship in the water.
However, according to NASA, it is now expected that humanity’s return to the Moon will not occur before September 2026. delayed his touchdown plans from an originally targeted landing in late 2025. Problems involving the Orion spacecraft’s heatshield, life support systems, and electrical system in the crew abort system have contributed to the delay.
“As we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching in as safe a manner as possible,” NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free told reporters during a media teleconference in January. “And we will launch when we are ready.”
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