NASA chose a simpler spacesuit to return to the Moon
NASA has decided to use a relatively simple and lightweight spacesuit for the initial missions that will land astronauts on the surface of the Moon in the XXI century. Through this, the agency aims to accelerate the "Artemis" program and implement the plan to land humans in the south pole region of the Moon in 2028.
NASA chose a simpler spacesuit to return to the Moon
NASA announced this decision during an internal meeting held this week
Under the direction of Jeremy Parsons, the head of the Artemis program, the agency, together with Axiom Space, will develop a simplified version of the planned lunar spacesuit. The new model is called the Sortie Suit.
The Sortie Suit is planned to be used in the initial crewed lunar missions. It is envisaged to use landing vehicles being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin to bring astronauts down to the lunar surface.
One of the main goals of the new approach is to reduce the weight of the spacesuit, simplify its design, and ease the technical interfaces between the spacesuit and the lunar landing module.
After NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman arrived at the agency in December 2025, his team began reviewing the Artemis program, which was significantly behind the initial schedule. At that time, the likelihood that NASA would not be able to return humans to the Moon until at least 2030 had increased. This raised concerns that China might land a human on the Moon before the Americans.
Following this, Isaacman began looking for ways to get Artemis back on schedule. With the support of Congress, a number of serious changes were implemented in the program. In particular, decisions were made to simplify the production process of the Space Launch System rocket, to abandon the Gateway station in lunar orbit, and thereby reduce the load on the landing vehicles.
NASA is also strengthening cooperation with SpaceX and Blue Origin, exploring how to assist with the lunar landing vehicles they are developing.
About four years ago, NASA contracted with Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to develop next-generation spacesuits. However, in 2024, Collins Aerospace withdrew from the program. The company may have fallen behind schedule and faced financial difficulties. As a result, Axiom Space remained the sole company supplying spacesuits designed for working on the lunar surface for NASA.
Axiom Space continues to work on the project, but industry sources have expressed concern about the pace of the spacesuit's development.
According to Charlie Precourt, a former astronaut and member of the NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, the agency's leadership is meeting with Axiom Space representatives six days a week to resolve schedule and spacesuit specification issues. In many cases, these negotiations are being held face-to-face.