SpaceX has unveiled its new Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suits. suits that could be used in low-Earth orbit by the end of summer. The new suits are described as an advancement of the current spacesuits worn by astronauts during Dragon missions, which are specifically designed for staying in pressurized environments. In contrast, the EVA suits will enable astronauts to work inside and outside their capsule as necessary, thanks to various improvements in materials, joint design, redundancy safeguards, and the addition of a helmet visor heads up display (HUD).
Announced over the weekend, the SpaceX EVA suits will be worn by the four crewmembers scheduled to comprise the Polaris Program’s first mission, Polaris Dawn. The Polaris Program, launched in 2022, is a joint venture through SpaceX aimed at quickly advancing human spaceflight capabilities, according to its website. Polaris Dawn, targeted for no earlier than summer 2024, will mark the first commercial spacewalk and the first spacewalk to include four astronauts at the same time. While making history outside their Dragon capsule, the crew will be the first to test Starlink laser-based communications systems that SpaceX believes will be crucial for future missions to the moon and eventually Mars.
Mobility is the main focus of SpaceX’s teaser video posted to X on May 4, featuring an EVA suit wearer demonstrating smooth ranges of finger, shoulder, and elbow motion. As PCMag.com also explained on Monday, SpaceX's EVA suits are made with various textile-based thermal materials and include semi-rigid rotator joints that allow work in both pressurized and unpressurized environments. For the boots, designers used the same temperature-resistant material found in the Falcon 9 rocket’s interstage and Dragon capsule’s trunk.
Polaris Dawn astronauts will also wear 3D-printed polycarbonate helmets with visors coated in copper and indium tin oxide, along with anti-glare and anti-fog treatments. During the spacewalk approximately 435 miles above Earth, each crewmember’s helmet will project a built-in heads up display (HUD) to provide real-time pressure, temperature, and relative humidity readings.
Moon-bound Artemis III spacesuits have some functional luxury sewn in.]
Similar to the Prada-designed getups for NASA’s Artemis III astronauts, the SpaceX EVA suit also aims to represent a future where individuals of all body types can live and work beyond Earth. SpaceX explains that all the EVA upgrades are scalable in design, allowing for customization to accommodate “different body types as SpaceX seeks to create greater accessibility to space for all of humanity.” While the proposed goal of manufacturing “millions” of spacesuits for multiplanetary life may seem ambitious right now, it’s a starting point, even if only producing four suits at the moment.
