NASA
NASA astronaut Jeff Williams is seen during a 2006 spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
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The iconic white, puffy suits that astronauts have worn for decades when they leave the International Space Station are quickly becoming outdated. However, NASA has no concrete plans to replace them yet.
The space agency announced Wednesday that it is terminating contracts worth more than $100 million with Collins Aerospace — a division of RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, and a longtime NASA partner — to develop next-generation spacesuits.
Collins and the space agency “mutually agreed” to end the deal, in which the company had committed to delivering the spacesuits by 2026, NASA said.
“This action was agreed upon after Collins recognized that the development timeline would not support the space station schedule and NASA’s mission objectives,” NASA said in a blog post.
Collins did not respond to a request for comment Thursday morning.
Astronauts currently wear space suits, called Extravehicular Activity or EVA suits, which were designed for spacewalks more than 40 years ago.
Trent Sugg/Collins Aerospace/PR Newswire
Collins Aerospace’s Next-Gen spacesuit, intended for use on the International Space Station, is on display during the design process. NASA and Collins agreed to terminate the development agreement, the space agency said.
Earlier this week, NASA abandoned plans to remove a faulty electronics box outside the space station after an EVA suit worn by astronaut Tracy Dyson leaked. The problem related to the space suit’s cooling unit, which keeps astronauts at a comfortable temperature while they work.
It is not yet clear whether and how NASA will renew or replace plans to develop a new generation of EVA suits for the space station.
Another company, Houston-based Axiom Space, has a nearly $230 million NASA contract to develop new spacesuits under the same program that Collins ran. But Axiom’s outfits are designed to be worn on the moon.
NASA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Axiom’s suits could be repurposed for use on the space station.
SpaceX, another major NASA partner that transports astronauts to and from the International Space Station, is also developing its own EVA suit.
But those plans focus on providing protection for four astronauts on a mission called Polaris Dawn, an entirely private venture funded by financial billionaire Jared Isaacman that could launch as soon as this summer. Polaris Dawn could be the first spacewalk conducted by a private company and a civilian astronaut.
SpaceX unveiled the designs for its EVA suits in May.
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment on whether NASA has reviewed or considered these spacesuit designs for use on the International Space Station. The Elon Musk-led company does not typically respond to inquiries from news organizations.
NASA plans to decommission the space station sometime in the next few years. In a separate press release detailing plans to destroy the space station when it retires, the federal agency noted that it has committed to continuing space station operations through 2030. But Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, has only guaranteed its participation until “at least 2028.” .”