NASA has decided to use a simpler spacesuit for its initial missions to the lunar surface, Ars has learned.
The agency announced the decision during an internal meeting this week as it seeks to accelerate its program to land humans at the South Pole of the Moon as early as 2028. At the direction of Artemis Program Manager Jeremy Parsons, NASA will work with Axiom Space to develop a “Sortie Suit” variant of the planned spacesuit for the lunar surface.
Sources said the Sortie Suit will be used for the initial landing missions flown on landers developed both by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Among the goals of the initiative is to lower the mass of the spacesuit, reduce its complexity, and simplify interfaces between the spacesuits and lunar landers.
Accelerating Artemis
Since arriving at NASA in December 2025, Administrator Jared Isaacman and his team have been reviewing the space agency’s Artemis Program, which had fallen significantly behind schedule. At the time, it appeared increasingly likely that NASA would not return to the Moon before at least 2030 and that this would allow China to reach the lunar surface in advance of NASA’s return.
Isaacman has been searching for ways to get Artemis back on track and, with the blessing of Congress, has already made some major changes, including streamlining production of the Space Launch System rocket, canceling the Lunar Gateway to reduce the burden on lunar landers, and working aggressively with SpaceX and Blue Origin to understand their needs and how NASA can help.
Less has been publicly reported about NASA’s work with Axiom Space, which, under a spacesuit-as-a-service contract, is the agency’s only current provider of suits for astronauts to venture out onto the lunar surface.
This does not mean suits are unimportant, however. For NASA to have a meaningful mission to the lunar surface, it needs more than a spacecraft, a rocket, and a lander—it needs modern spacesuits capable of allowing astronauts to wander around outside, take pictures, and conduct science.
Slimming down the suit
About four years ago, NASA awarded spacesuit development contracts to two providers, Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace. In 2024, after falling behind schedule and presumably because it was having difficulty making the finances work, Collins dropped out, leaving Axiom as the sole provider of suits. Axiom has remained committed to the process, but private sources have expressed concerns about its rate of progress.