ISS EVA Spacesuit awarded to Collins Aerospace

[whitelancer64]

Collins Aerospace selected to develop new space station spacesuit
by Jeff Foust — December 8, 2022

"NASA has selected Collins Aerospace to develop a next-generation spacesuit for the International Space Station, replacing aging suits that have become a safety concern.

NASA awarded a task order valued at $97.2 million to Collins to design, build and demonstrate the suit, which will replace the existing, decades-old Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suits used for spacewalks outside the ISS. The task order covers development of the suit and testing on Earth in a simulated space environment by January 2024.

An option in the task order, whose value was not disclosed, would involve demonstrating the suit on an ISS spacewalk with NASA astronauts, no later than April 2026."


"The company released few details about the design of the suit, other than to say it is lighter and less bulky than the current EMU, improving efficiency, range of motion and comfort. The suit is also designed to fit “nearly” any body type to meet NASA requirements."


"One member of the Collins team suggests that they are still in the running to provide spacesuits for later lunar missions by adapting the design they will develop for the ISS. “Leveraging our decades of experience engineering the pressure garments for the Apollo missions and the ISS, our latest spacesuits will have the ability to be outfitted for missions from the ISS to the lunar surface and beyond,” said Corey Walker, chief executive of ILC Dover."

https://spacenews.com/collins-aerospace-selected-to-develop-new-space-station-spacesuit/

[jacqmans]

December 08, 2022
RELEASE 22-128

NASA Taps Collins Aerospace to Develop New Space Station Spacesuits

NASA has awarded a task order to Collins Aerospace to deliver a spacewalking system for potential use outside the International Space Station.

This award – the second under NASA’s Exploration EVA Services contract – is for design and development of a next-generation spacesuit and support systems. The task order has a base value of $97.2 million.

Collins Aerospace will complete a critical design review and demonstrate use of the suit on Earth in a simulated space environment by January 2024. NASA will have the option to extend the contract for a demonstration with agency crew members outside the space station by April 2026.

With this second award for a new suit and system, NASA is another step closer to a replacement for the current design used by NASA astronauts for decades during space shuttle and space station missions. The new suit will support continued station maintenance and operations as NASA and its international partners continue to perform scientific research that benefit humanity and is crucial to future Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars.

“We look forward to obtaining another much-needed service under our contract,” said Lara Kearney, manager of the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, which manages the spacesuit contract. “By working with industry, NASA is able to continue its over 22-year legacy of maintaining a presence in low-Earth orbit.”

Under the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, both Collins Aerospace, as well as Axiom, which was awarded an initial task order award for Artemis suits, provided proposals to meet both station and Artemis requirements. Both vendors will continue to compete for future task orders which include recurring services for station spacewalks and moonwalks beyond Artemis III.

Collins will be responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of its station spacesuits and support equipment to meet NASA’s key requirements. The agency will continue to maintain the authority to manage astronaut training, spacewalk planning, and approval of the service systems.

Learn more about spacewalking at:

https://www.nasa.gov/suitup