For NASA's Artemis III mission—America's return to the Moon—astronauts will don advanced new spacesuits. Facing years of delays and soaring costs, the agency now plans to lease these suits to private companies, as announced.
Extravehicular spacesuits function as self-contained life-support systems, keeping astronauts alive outside pressurized spacecraft. Several years ago, as part of the Artemis program aiming for sustained lunar presence and eventual Mars missions, NASA redesigned its Apollo-era suits.
Over the past 14 years, NASA developed the next-generation Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) suits—safer, more efficient, and comfortable. Yet costs have exceeded $420 million, with nearly $1 billion more projected, and delays persist. A recent audit shows the first two suits, due in 2024, won't be ready until at least 2025.
This timeline threatens the 2024 crewed lunar landing.
To overcome these hurdles, NASA is pivoting to industry. NASA's Johnson Space Center recently solicited proposals from private firms to supply these suits, opting to lease rather than build in-house at higher costs.
Companies can use NASA's xEMU technology or submit proprietary designs, but must meet key specs: enable up to six lunar surface spacewalks per suit in early Artemis missions and limit lunar regolith brought back to the cabin to 100 grams per excursion. NASA expects to select a provider by next April.
Interested companies remain undisclosed, though Elon Musk recently offered SpaceX's help to accelerate U.S. spacesuit development.
