China Just Unveiled Next-Gen Space Suits for Its Upcoming Lunar Mission
China’s new space suits are ready for take off.
The country just unveiled the next-gen suits that its taikonauts will wear on its landmark lunar mission. The design, which the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) revealed over the weekend, plays an integral part in the nation reaching its lofty goal of launching its first crewed mission by 2030, CNN reported.
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The red-and-white garb can safeguard the moonwalker from extreme temperatures, in addition to debris particles and harmful UV radiation, according to the developers. The garment, with a slimmer look and increased mobility, also features a built-in long and short-range camera, a control console, and an anti-reflective helmet visor to block the sun’s glare. In terms of aesthetics, the suit is based on traditional Chinese armor: The stripes on the upper portion are inspired by the silk ribbons worn by the Flying Apsaras in ancient Dunhuang fresco art, while those on its lower half are meant to resemble “rocket launch flames.”
“Unlike low-Earth orbit missions, astronauts will be in a harsh natural lunar environment during lunar extravehicular activities,” said Wu Zhiqiang, deputy chief designer of astronaut systems at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, speaking to CCTV. “Complex environmental factors such as high vacuum and low gravity, lunar dust and lunar soil, complex lunar surface terrain, high and low temperatures, and strong radiation will have a significant impact on work and protection.”
Back in February, CMSA revealed the name of the spacecraft that will take Chinese astronauts to the moon. Mengzhou, which translates to “Dream Vessel” in English, will be the official crew spaceship, while the lander is named Lanyue, or “Embracing the Moon”—inspired by a 1965 poem from Chairman Mao Zedong. If and when the mission is complete, China will establish itself as the second country to put astronauts on the moon. It also has plans to build a research base near the lunar south pole by 2040. So far, the China National Space Administration successfully completed the first mission to collect rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon and return them to Earth.
Meanwhile, NASA presented suits for its upcoming Artemis III mission to the moon in March of last year. The latest space gear prototype, created in collaboration with Axiom Space in Houston, will be worn during the Artemis program’s first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. The month-long mission, which has been subject to delays, is currently targeting a September 2026 launch. SpaceX has also been in the space suit game, debuting a sleek new look for the astronauts on its successful Polaris Dawn mission.
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