Axiom Space Awarded Contract to Pursue Spacesuit Development for International Space Station

Axiom Space Awarded Contract to Pursue Spacesuit Development for International Space Station
by Brad Bartz
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 12, 2023

Axiom Space, a Houston-based company, has been granted a significant contract by NASA to develop spacesuits for the International Space Station (ISS). The contract, which involves an initial commitment of $5 million and has the potential to reach $142 million over four years, aims to modify Axiom's Artemis III lunar spacesuit design to enhance NASA's spacewalking capabilities on the ISS.

This is the second contract awarded to Axiom Space by NASA, following the $228 million task order in 2022 to create the lunar spacesuit for the Artemis III mission to the Moon. The new task order allows Axiom Space to leverage a single, foundational architecture to simultaneously design spacesuits for both the ISS and lunar surface missions.

Axiom Space is already engaged in developing a low-Earth orbit (LEO) spacesuit for use on their forthcoming commercial space station, Axiom Station, which is designed to cater to the needs of private space explorers from around the world.

Mark Greeley, Axiom Space EVA Program Manager, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with NASA, stating, "We are excited to add our orbital spacesuits as an option for NASA. The team is truly humbled to be a provider of spacesuits for the NASA Artemis missions and now a developer of spacesuits for future ISS missions." Greeley highlighted the advantages of aligning spacesuit architecture for commercial LEO, lunar, and ISS purposes, emphasizing the streamlining of designs and value delivery to NASA while also serving future commercial astronauts on Axiom Station by the end of the decade.

The Axiom Space ISS spacesuit will share similarities with the Artemis III spacesuit, accommodating a diverse range of crew members while offering increased flexibility and specialized tools. The design encompasses life support systems, pressure garments, power avionics, and communication capabilities. Axiom Space will also provide design, certification, hardware, and training support for EVA systems and real-time operations to NASA.

Russell Ralston, Axiom Space EVA Deputy Program Manager, expressed his appreciation for the collaboration, stating, "Imagining astronauts performing EVAs outside the ISS wearing Axiom Space spacesuits, borne from the original NASA design, would honor everyone who ever worked on the NASA suits of the past and those who are working on the NASA spacesuits of the future."

Both spacesuit contracts awarded to Axiom Space fall under NASA's Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) contract, enabling Axiom to compete for contracts that encompass a full suite of capabilities to meet NASA's spacewalking requirements until 2034. The xEVAS contract, based on project milestones, has a combined maximum potential value of $3.5 billion for all task order awards.

Axiom Space's success in securing these contracts underscores the company's growing prominence in the space industry and its commitment to collaborating with NASA to advance space exploration. With their ongoing work on the ISS spacesuit and the development of the lunar spacesuit for the Artemis III mission, Axiom Space is solidifying its position as a key contributor to the future of human spaceflight.