SpaceX unveils their new high tech space suit for Mars colonists

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By Matthew Griffin Space 24th May 2024

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Space suits cost billions of dollars to develop and NASA’s old suits have needed a redesign for a long time.

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Astronauts, prepare for takeoff. SpaceX just unveiled groundbreaking new gear for the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. Over the weekend, the company shared an update on its website that the crew would be sporting a newly developed ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuit during the historic five-day trek, which is set to include the first commercial astronaut spacewalk. The suit itself is a modified version of the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit that crews currently wear aboard the Dragon spacecraft for its missions, and this is the first time it will be used during low-Earth orbit. According to SpaceX, Polaris Dawn is scheduled to launch no earlier than summer 2024.

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“Building a base on the moon and a city on Mars will require millions of spacesuits,” the company wrote on its website. “The development of this suit and the execution of the spacewalk will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions as life becomes multiplanetary.”

Experience the new space suit from SpaceX

In terms of the design, the EVA suit features improved mobility and a 3D printed helmet with a new visor to reduce glare. In addition, the helmet includes a heads-up display and built-in camera that gives the wearer information on the suit’s pressure levels, temperature, and humidity. Of course, to ensure the crew’s safety during extravehicular activities, the suit also has added seals and pressure valves.

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The launch of the private Polaris Dawn mission has been continuously delayed since the Polaris Program was initially announced in February 2022 by billionaire Jared Isaacman. The timeline has been greatly slowed due to several challenges, including the creation of the all new EVA spacesuits.

“We’ve got to redesign the suit so that you actually move around in it. It’s quite hard to still be mobile in an inflated suit,” SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a presentation posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) earlier this year.

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Polaris Dawn is the first of the program’s three missions developed for human spaceflight. During the mission, the spacecraft will orbit Earth for up to five days, hoping to set the record for the highest Earth orbit ever flown. At the same time, the crew will conduct its own research on the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health. They will also be the first to test a laser-based communication system for SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Matthew Griffin, multi-award winning Futurist and named Futurist of the Year 2024, has been described as a "Walking encyclopaedia of the future" by NASA and a futurist polymath. One of the world's most renowned futurists and strategic foresight experts Matthew is the 15 times author of the blockbuster "Codex of the Future" series, and is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working across the next 50 years, XPotential University, the world's first free futures and foresight university, and the World Futures Forum which works with the United Nations to solve the worlds greatest challenges. Matthew is an in demand international keynote, acclaimed university lecturer and mentor, and host of the hit Fanatical Futurist podcast.

A rare talent in his past Matthew helped build and run several multi-billion dollar business units for Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, and his ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77+ governments, and many of the world's most respected brands including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Disney, Dow, EY, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, and many others. He was also the only futurist invited to talk at the UN COP28 held in Dubai alongside world leaders.

Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.