Science

Astronaut Wakata Tests Artemis Lunar Spacesuit for NASA; Outfit Made by Axiom Space, Inc. Eyed for Use in 2027

Courtesy of NASA
Koichi Wakata, center, simulates planting the U.S. flag on the lunar surface during an underwater test of a spacesuit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas in May.

By Keiichi Nakane / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:32 JST, July 10, 2025

WASHINGTON — Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata has participated in the first test of a spacesuit being developed for lunar activities in a 12-meter-deep pool at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas.

The spacesuit, commissioned by NASA from U.S. space company Axiom Space, Inc., is intended to be worn by astronauts when they land on the moon as part of the U.S.-led Artemis lunar exploration program in or after 2027.

The flexibility and safety of the spacesuit are said to have been improved compared to the suits worn when humans last walked on the moon in 1972, during the the Apollo 17 mission.

Wakata, 61, who retired from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency last year, joined Axiom Space and participated in the program to test the spacesuit in May, drawing on his experience as an astronaut.

In the first experiment, Wakata wore the spacesuit in an indoor pool about 12 meters deep, which is used for spacewalk training, and confirmed the operation capabilities of its life-support devices as well as the communication and cooling systems mounted on the back. He also simulated planting the U.S. flag on the lunar surface during the test.

The company plans to continue the tests. “The Axiom Space-developed spacesuit will enable astronauts to explore the moon for the first time in over 50 years as part of the Artemis III mission to the lunar south pole,” it said in a statement.