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India Today

Astronauts don new spacesuits being readied for living on the Moon

Former Nasa astronaut Chris Hadfield and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer recently took part in critical testing of Axiom Space's new lunar spacesuit, the AxEMU, in conjunction with Astrolab's FLEX lunar rover evaluations, conducted at Axiom Space's Houston facilities, mark an important step in preparing astronauts for upcoming Moon missions under Artemis who has extensive spaceflight experience, performed detailed assessments of the crew stand and operational controls of the FLEX rover while wearing the pressurized AxEMU He provided valuable engineering feedback on the suit's fit and the rover's crew interface, highlighting the importance of seamless integration between spacesuit and vehicle. Astronaut Chris Hadfield during the testing of the spacesuit. (Photo: Astrolab) 'Fun to be one of the astronauts testing Axiom Space's new lunar spacesuit and its fit with Astrolab's FLEX Moon rover,' Hadfield Maurer, the first European Space Agency astronaut to test the AxEMU, also gained firsthand experience with the suit's mobility and life-support AxEMU is designed to offer enhanced protection, increased mobility, and thermal regulation-featuring a white exterior to reflect heat and a life-sustaining backpack system-enabling astronauts to operate effectively on the Moon's harsh AxEMU spacesuit has undergone extensive development and simulations, including underwater and reduced gravity tests at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and Johnson Space is nearing final design review and is slated for use in the Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the lunar for visiting @astro_matthias! Matthias got a firsthand look at the spacesuit that will return humans to the Moon. Fun fact: Matthias is the first @ESA astronaut to test out our next-generation spacesuit, the #AxEMU. Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) May 12, 2025Astrolab's FLEX rover, scheduled to deploy at the lunar South Pole in late 2025, is a key platform for testing critical technologies such as hyper-deformable wheels and advanced collaboration between Axiom Space and Astrolab ensures that the AxEMU suit and FLEX rover will integrate safely and effectively, supporting astronauts in conducting geological surveys and scientific experiments on the partnership exemplifies the next generation of commercial spaceflight innovation, advancing human exploration beyond Earth and laying the groundwork for sustainable lunar Watch