High Fashion

NASA has awarded a delivery order contract to Collins Aerospace to produce a spacewalking system—read space-suit—for potential use outside the International Space Station. The 92.7-million award—the second under NASA’s Exploration EVA Services contract—tasks the renowned Raytheon subsidiary with the design and development of a next-generation space-suit and support systems appropriate to such.

Per its agreement with the space agency, Collins Aerospace will complete a critical design review and demonstrate use of a prototype suit on Earth in a simulated space environment—read swimming pool—by January 2024. NASA, for its own part, will have the option to extend the contract for a demonstration with agency crew members outside the space station by April 2026.

The Collins award significantly furthers NASA’s aim of replacing extant space-suits—the entirety of which are based on decades-old designs and many of which date back to the space shuttle program. The new suits—presuming Collins is diligent and ultimately successful in its work—will support continued operations outside the International Space Station (ISS) as NASA and its global partners continue to perform scientific research crucial to future manned missions to the Moon—and ultimately Mars (Barsoom).

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

In accordance with the provisions of the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract—a type of contract known alternately as a Task Order or Delivery Order Contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services over a fixed period of time—both Collins Aerospace and Axiom Space will provided proposals to meet ISS and Artemis space-suit requirements. Axiom Space is a privately funded American space infrastructure developer to which NASA has awarded a second and separate initial task order for Artemis suits. The two vendors will continue to compete for future task orders which include recurring services for station spacewalks and moonwalks beyond Artemis III.

Collins, in furtherance of key NASA requirements, will be responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of its station space-suits and the equipment by which subject suits are supported. NASA, conversely, will retain the authority to manage astronaut training, spacewalk planning, and approval of the service systems.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/suitup