In 2026, NASA plans to land humans on the moon for the first time since 1972. Times have changed, as you can tell from new rockets, spacecraft and spacesuits.
In preparation for the Artemis 3 moon landing mission, two astronauts donned the new Axiom Space suits in late April and tested for the first time a mock version of the vehicle that will get them to the moon.
Scientists and engineers say the test – the first of its kind since the Apollo era – provided feedback on how well the suits were made Axiomworked with a test version of SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS), NASA’s vehicle for transporting astronauts to and from the Moon during the Artemis 3 mission. They were able to measure the layout of the HLS, including its layout, physical design and clearances, according NASA statement.
The three-hour test, which was conducted at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, was also useful to assess the suits’ flexibility and ease of entry and exit before stowing them in the airlock with minimal assistance.
Two astronauts, Peggy Whitson of Axiom Space and Doug Wheelock of NASA, donned their spacesuits in a full-scale mock-up of the airlock, which is perched aboard the starship’s airlock. Each suit also contained a full-scale “backpack” model of a portable life support system, according to a declaration from Axiom.
During the test, the astronauts interacted with a control panel in the airlock to make sure the controls were within reach and could be activated while wearing gloves, NASA said. They also practiced using the test lift that will take astronauts and their equipment from aboard a starship to the surface of the moon for moonwalks during Artemis missions.
“Overall, I was pleased with the astronauts’ control panel operation and their ability to perform the challenging tasks they will have to do before they step onto the moon,” said Logan Kennedy, surface activities manager for NASA’s HLS program. in a NASA statement. “The test also confirmed that the amount of space available in the airlock, on deck and in the elevator is sufficient for the work our astronauts plan to do.”
Related: NASA selected the SpaceX spacecraft to land the Artemis astronauts on the moon
In March of last year, NASA and Axiom exposed a prototype spacesuit, the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), designed to be worn by astronauts in flight and on the moon. The company is past the point of preliminary design review with NASA and will enter the critical design review phase later this year, Axiom said in a statement.
“Integrated tests like this one, with key programs and partners working together, are essential to ensure systems are running smoothly and to ensure safety and efficiency for astronauts before they take their next steps on the Moon,” Amit Kshatriya, NASA Moon to Mars Program Manager. NASA said in a statement.
In April, Axiom tested one of the unmanned spacesuits at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, for which the company added weights to the suit to mimic the lunar environment, where the gravity is only one-sixth that of Earth. The astronaut will soon don the suit for the first test ride in water, the company said in its latest statement.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is developing the astronauts’ way to the moon, the Starship, to be fully reusable to help economically feasible trips to the moon and eventually Mars. On Friday (June 7), the company came close to that goal successful fourth test flight this ended up being a smooth water landing for both the Super Heavy support aircraft and the starship itself.
However, humanity’s return to the moon is now not expected until September 2026 at the earliest after NASA delayed her landing plans from the originally targeted landing in late 2025. Problems with the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield, life support systems, and electrical system in the crew abort system contributed to the delay.
“As we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching as safely as possible,” Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator, told reporters during a media teleconference in January. “And we’ll take off when we’re ready.