Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX Corp., has decided to pull back from its contract with NASA to develop new spacesuits for the International Space Station (ISS). [2][3][4][5]
The company and NASA have mutually agreed to "descope" the work on the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) program, which was awarded to Collins and Axiom Space in 2022. [2] Collins had been tasked with developing a new spacesuit for use on the ISS, while Axiom was responsible for suits for Artemis lunar missions. [2]
Industry sources suggest that Collins has faced delays and cost overruns on the project, and concluded that it was no longer feasible to continue the work, especially given the fixed-price nature of the contract. [2] NASA has not commented on Collins' decision or what steps it will take to find a new suit developer. [2]
This development comes as NASA has experienced issues with the aging Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs) currently used on the ISS, leading to the cancellation of recent spacewalks due to suit problems. [2] NASA's safety advisers have long warned about the risks posed by the aging EMUs and the need for an "immediate transition" to new suits. [2]
The withdrawal of Collins Aerospace from the spacesuit contract highlights the ongoing challenges NASA faces in updating its critical spacesuit technology, which is essential for future space exploration and extravehicular activities. [5] The agency will now need to find a new partner to continue the development of replacement suits for the ISS. [2]
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