The main objective of NASA's Artemis project is to return astronauts to the Moon, after more than 50 years have passed since the last time a human being stepped on the characteristic regolith of the lunar surface.
The new missions that will be sent to our natural satellite will have state-of-the-art space technology that will be a lot better that was sent with Apollo in its day.
Although there is still some time left for the Orion spacecraft to carry out its first manned mission to the Moon, engineers have already begun preparations.
After Artemis I has obtained successful results, the next step for NASA is to design the next-generation spacesuits, the prototype of which will be presented on Wednesday, March 15, at a televised event.
The name they have given to the prototype is xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Units) and it comes from the association of NASA with Axiom Space.
The result of this development will first be tested on the International Space Station, but its ultimate purpose is for the suits to be used on the Artemis III mission, which will take place in 2023 at the earliest and in which humans are expected to return to step on the moon.
The suits currently used for space exploration have been in use for over 40 years, so a change was to be expected.
We can take into account here the water leaks in astronaut helmets that were detected in recent years and that forced NASA to stop spacewalks in May 2022.
According to a 2021 report from NASA's Office of the Inspector General, it was possible the Artemis moon landing was delayed due to delivery delays of the new spacesuits.
The document mentioned that they were facing "significant challenges" to get xEMUs ready by November 2024.
Besides the suit issue, another key factor in the mission that could cause delays is SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket, which will be used for launch.
The private company ensures that the vehicle is ready and the inaugural flight could take place shortly, but dates are still unknown and it is not known how well the first tests will turn out.
