In a significant step towards the much-anticipated Artemis 3 moon mission, astronauts have recently conducted tests on SpaceX's Starship hardware and the newly designed spacesuit. NASA and its industry partners, Axiom Space and SpaceX, are preparing for the Artemis 3 mission to land humans on the Moon for the first time since 1972. As part of this preparation, astronauts Doug "Wheels" Wheelock and Peggy Whitson recently tested the SpaceX Starship hardware and Axiom Space-developed spacesuits.
PICTURED ON THE LEFT, SPACEX'S LUNAR STARSHIP IS A CUSTOMIZED VERSION OF THE BASELINE SHIP MEANT TO LAND NASA ASTRONAUTS ON THE MOON
On April 30, the astronauts put on the spacesuits and interacted with the full-scale developmental hardware of SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System (HLS). This test marked the first time astronauts in pressurized spacesuits interacted with a test version of Starship HLS hardware.
The day-long test, conducted at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, provided valuable feedback on the layout, physical design, and mechanical assemblies inside the Starship HLS. The test also evaluated the flexibility and agility of the spacesuits, known as the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU).
The astronauts practiced putting on and taking off the spacesuits, as well as stowing them in the airlock with minimal assistance. They also evaluated the placement of mobility aids, such as handrails, and practiced interacting with a control panel in the airlock while wearing gloves.
NASA astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock and Axiom Space astronaut Peggy Whitson prepare for a test of full-scale mockups of spacesuits developed by Axiom Space and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system developed for NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.
Wheelock and Whitson were able to test the agility of the spacesuits by conducting movements and tasks similar to those necessary during lunar surface exploration on Artemis missions, such as operating Starship’s elevator gate.
The test confirmed that the amount of space available in the airlock, on the deck, and in the elevator is sufficient for the work the astronauts plan to do. The suited astronauts also walked from the Starship's airlock deck to the elevator, practicing opening a gate to enter the elevator and lowering the ramp that astronauts will use to take the next steps on the Moon.
Astronauts were fully suited while conducting mission-like maneuvers in the full-scale build of the Starship human landing system’s airlock which will be located inside Starship under the crew cabin.
This test marked an important step towards preparing for a new generation of moonwalks as part of the Artemis mission. SpaceX will provide the Starship HLS for the Artemis III mission, which will dock with Orion in lunar orbit and take two astronauts to and from the surface of the Moon. Axiom Space is providing a new generation of spacesuits designed to fit a wider range of astronauts.
With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. The success of this mission will be a crucial step towards establishing a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and eventually sending humans to Mars.
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