Collins Aerospace
A new spacesuit designed for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to carry out spacewalks has undergone real-world zero-G testing.
Collins Aerospace, the developers of the suit, carried out tests on its performance in a manufactured zero-gravity environment onboard an aircraft making parabolic flight manoeuvres.
The demonstrations were performed by experienced former Nasa astronauts. Primary objectives included evaluating the suit’s pressure garment system fit and functionality, use of ISS tools and interfaces, and reviewed performance of the new Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or EMU, against the current design.
The test environment was built with a “similar geometry” to the ISS airlock, and evaluated metrics such as “reach, workspace access, comfort, ease of use and injury reduction measures”.
“The test allowed us to examine specific objectives of the design that can support a broad range of crew member sizes and crew tasks in a controlled environment,” said Peggy Guirgis, general manager for Collins Aerospace.
The next-generation suit weighs less and has lower volume than Nasa’s current spacesuit. Its open architecture design allows it to be easily modified as missions change or technology becomes more advanced. The company has engaged with current and former astronauts to guide their engineering and design choices.
Ahead of a critical design review, additional evaluations are scheduled, including thermal vacuum and underwater tests at Nasa’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Texas.
Rob Reed is president of space and engineered solutions at ILC Dover, which helped develop the suit with Collins Aerospace.
“ILC Dover’s pressure garment design leverages decades of innovation and experience to fit more astronauts than ever before, ensuring the safety and comfort of the next generation of space explorers,” he said. “The successful test signals that we’re one step closer to sustaining human life in space with the most advanced spacesuit yet.”
Nasa recently delayed its manned Moon missions to 2026 following a report from the US Government Accountability Office that found the programme faced multiple challenges with the development of the Human Landing System and space suits.
That suit, which is different from the Collins Aerospace design, is being developed by Axiom. The report found there is “significant work” remaining to resolve design challenges: for example, the original design did not provide the minimum amount of emergency life support needed for the Artemis III mission.
Representatives from Axiom admitted that they may need to redesign certain aspects of the space suit, which could cause further mission delays.
