Nasa unveiled its new moon suit for the Artemis III mission on Wednesday (March 15), at an event at Space Center Houston in Texas.
The Artemis III mission, which will mark the first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, will pioneer a woman and a person of colour on the moon, in 2025.
Nasa says the mission will “pave the way for a long-term, sustainable lunar presence to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars.”
Now, the world has gotten a glimpse of what the astronauts will wear to complete the mission.
Created by Axiom Space, the spacesuit incorporates the latest technology, enhanced mobility, and added protection from hazards on the Moon, according to Nasa.
The suit has been designed to fit at least 90 per cent of the US male and female population and will be tested in a Spacelike environment before the mission.
However, unlike the spacesuit that was unveiled on Wednesday, the suits the astronauts will wear on the mission will be white, to reflect the harsh sunlight on the moon’s surface, according to the Guardian.
“Nasa’s partnership with Axiom is critical to landing astronauts on the moon and continuing American leadership in Space,” said Nasa administrator Bill Nelson in a statement.
“Building on Nasa’s years of research and expertise, Axiom’s next-generation spacesuits will not only enable the first woman to walk on the moon, but they will also open opportunities for more people to explore and conduct science on the moon than ever before.”
He added: "Our partnership is investing in America, supporting America’s workers, and demonstrating another example of America’s technical ingenuity that will position Nasa and the commercial Space sector to compete – and win – in the 21st century.”
The Artemis project is named after the Greek goddess of the moon and sister to Apollo, the namesake of Nasa’s first moon missions.
Nasa says the project’s aims are “scientific discovery, economic benefit, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers”.
