2 Spaceport firms working on NASA contracts to design new spacesuits

By Mary Alys Cherry

Two aerospace firms in the process of building facilities at the Houston Spaceport – Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace – are busy also working on contracts awarded by NASA to develop new spacesuits. Axiom, which is in the process of building its headquarters at the Spaceport, and Collins, which is building a manufacturing facility there, along with a startup incubator, will compete for orders under the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) contract which has a maximum value of $3.5 billion through 2034.

The spacesuits will be for crews on the International Space Station, Artemis journeys and future missions to Mars. Collins said its new suits, which were designed by astronauts, are lighter and more adaptable and will allow for increased activities.

“With these awards, NASA and our partners will develop advanced, reliable spacesuits that allow humans to explore the cosmos unlike ever before,” NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche said. “By partnering with industry, we are efficiently advancing the necessary technology to keep Americans on a path of successful discovery on the International Space Station and as we set our sights on exploring the lunar surface.”

Both Axiom and Collins plan to have their suits ready by 2025, and the contract will last until 2034. But first, the companies must develop a suit and have it certified by NASA for either use on the ISS or the Artemis III mission, after a required real-world test either on the ground or in space.

“We are immensely pleased that NASA recognizes the value Axiom Space is providing across a range of human spaceflight activities, from our recent private astronaut mission to the ISS to the design and development of Axiom Station, and now to providing this critical system and associated services for astronauts in LEO [low Earth Orbit] and beyond,” Axiom Space President and CEO Michael Suffredini said.

Collins is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., that is one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. It will be responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification, and production of its station spacesuits and support equipment to meet NASA’s key requirements. In the past, Collins has worked on both the Space Shuttle and ISS EVA suits that have served NASA well for almost 40 years but are starting to show their age. Collins also brings ILC Dover to the team to work on the xEVAS contract. ILC Dover contributed to making the suits worn by Apollo astronauts on the Moon.

“Collins was there when the first man walked on the moon, and we’ll be there when humankind goes back,” Collins Mission Systems President Phil Jasper said.

The Houston Spaceport is located 20 miles south of Downtown Houston at Ellington Airport and describes itself as the world’s first truly urban commercial spaceport. The Houston Airport System is building the spaceport in phases collaborating with private sector tenants. Houston is home to 500 companies and institutions involved in aircraft or space vehicle manufacturing, research and technology, making the city an ideal site for aerospace and aviation companies to build or expand operations.