WASHINGTON — Axiom Space will produce the next generation of spacesuits, NASA recently announced.

Under the $228.5 million task order, Axiom will deliver a moonwalking system for the Artemis III mission. The award – the first one under a competitive spacesuits contract – is to develop a next generation spacesuit and supporting systems, and to demonstrate their use on the lunar surface during Artemis III.

As part of its planned human lunar spaceflight missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.

“NASA is proud to partner with commercial industry on this historic mission that will kickstart the United States building a lasting presence on the surface of the moon,” said Lara Kearney, manager of NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program. “What we learn on Artemis III and future missions on and around the moon will pave the way for missions to Mars.

“Spacesuits enable us to literally take that next step.”

Axiom Space will be responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of its spacesuits and support equipment.

NASA will maintain the authority for astronaut training, mission planning, and approval of the service systems. Axiom Space will be required to test the suits in a spacelike environment before Artemis III.

Future task orders under the contract will consist of recurring lunar landings, the development of spacesuits for use in low-Earth orbit outside the International Space Station, and special studies. The agency is evaluating task order options for space station spacesuits.

The spacesuits contract, which will advance spacewalking capabilities in low-Earth orbit and on the moon, is managed by the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.