Days after a successful mission to the far side of the moon, NASA is apparently facing major issues with a next-generation spacesuit that could delay further Artemis missions.
NASA’s inspector general released a report Monday that questioned whether the company manufacturing a next-generation spacesuit, Axiom Space, can make a deadline to outfit the astronauts of the Artemis IV mission, planned for early 2028. The report says Axiom might not even have the suits ready by 2031.
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Delays and cancellations have plagued Artemis at almost every step, although each mission has overcome the hurdles to be a resounding success. NASA typically prioritizes safety over speed. But as accidents that have taken the lives of 17 astronauts during space missions show, safety is sometimes elusive.
What’s wrong with the spacesuits?
The report details how the way NASA has tried to acquire its next spacesuit could be the problem.
In 2022, NASA awarded spacesuit contracts worth as much as $3.1 billion to two companies, Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace, according to Ars Technica. The award was an especially massive break for Axiom, new to the space industry.
About two years in, Collins dropped out of the project, leaving NASA with only one company to make the spacesuits.
The inspector general found that Collins’ withdrawal “negated the competition and redundancy” that NASA had sought by choosing two spacesuit providers. If Axiom can’t meet the deadlines contained in its contract, the report said, NASA would have to continue using a “problematic” spacesuit and “significantly adjust its lunar plans.”
Can NASA return to the moon in 2028?
The report found that Axiom’s promise to finish the new suits in late 2027 is “overly optimistic,” especially given that testing would be required once the suits are produced — potentially meaning a lengthy delay.
“If Axiom experiences design and testing delays in line with this historical average, the lunar and microgravity spacesuit demonstrations would not occur until 2031,” the report said.
In a statement responding to the inspector general’s report, Axiom’s CEO, Jonathan Cirtain, said the company is producing the new spacesuits “with the urgency the Artemis campaign demands.”
“We remain confident in our path to a 2027 demonstration and to supporting America’s return to the lunar surface in 2028,” Cirtain said.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency expects to send astronauts back to the moon as planned in just two years.
“NASA is not taking a passive role in any component of America’s return to the lunar surface and building a Moon base,” Isaacman wrote on X. “I am confident that when NASA is ready to land on the Moon in 2028, our astronauts will be wearing Axiom suits.”
