A New Business Model for Moonwalks
When astronauts once again set foot on the Moon, they will be wearing what is essentially a personal spacecraft, but one developed under a novel business model for NASA. The agency has partnered with commercial companies, primarily Axiom Space, to design,
build, and maintain the next-generation suits. Instead of owning the hardware, NASA will purchase moonwalking services, effectively renting the suits for its Artemis missions. This approach is designed to foster a commercial space economy, reduce costs, and leverage private sector innovation. Axiom Space is building on years of NASA's own prototype research to create the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU. This suit is tasked with protecting astronauts from the extreme challenges of the lunar south pole while enabling ambitious scientific work.
Engineered for Unprecedented Mobility
The single greatest leap forward in the new AxEMU suits is their flexibility. The Apollo suits were famously rigid, forcing astronauts to develop a unique hopping gait to move around. The new designs incorporate advanced bearings and flexible joints at the waist, arms, and legs. This will allow astronauts to walk more naturally, bend over to pick up rock samples, kneel, and twist their torsos—actions that were difficult or impossible in the old suits. This enhanced range of motion is critical for the Artemis missions, which aim to conduct far more complex geological fieldwork than was possible during the Apollo program. The ability to traverse uneven terrain comfortably and perform intricate tasks will dramatically expand the scientific return of each moonwalk. The suits are also designed to fit a much wider range of body types, accommodating at least 90 percent of the US male and female population, making space exploration more accessible.
More Than Just a Flexible Suit
While mobility is key, the AxEMU is a marvel of integrated technology. Its life support system is a self-contained backpack that provides oxygen, removes carbon dioxide, and circulates cooling water through an undergarment to manage body temperature in the harsh lunar environment, which can swing from -208 to +250 degrees Fahrenheit. An advanced helmet system features a protective visor and integrated high-definition cameras and lights, giving both the astronaut and mission control a clear view of the surroundings. The suits are also built to withstand the abrasive, clinging lunar dust, which posed significant problems for Apollo hardware. Every element is designed to support spacewalks of up to eight hours, with an additional hour of reserves, maximizing productivity on the lunar surface.
Enabling a New Era of Lunar Science
The combination of enhanced mobility, advanced tools, and robust life support directly serves the primary goals of the Artemis program: to establish a long-term, sustainable human presence on the Moon. With these new suits, astronauts can venture into permanently shadowed craters at the lunar south pole, areas thought to contain water ice, a critical resource for future missions. They will be able to set up complex scientific experiments, drill for core samples, and explore a wider geographical area during each excursion. The ability to move with greater dexterity means better science. Astronauts can act more like field geologists on Earth, closely examining and documenting their environment in ways that were previously unimaginable. This leap in capability is what will transform our understanding of the Moon and prepare humanity for the next giant leap: sending astronauts to Mars.
