NASA's planned lunar landing, currently set for 2028, may be pushed back into the 2030s if next-generation spacesuits are not ready in time, a new watchdog report has warned. The US space agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) said on Monday that design and testing hurdles could delay the suits until 2031, which would in turn postpone the Artemis IV mission—the first crewed Moon landing since 1972—by at least three years.
The suits were commissioned from Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace in 2022 for $3.1 billion, but Collins dropped out in 2024 after failing to meet deadlines. The OIG criticised NASA's approach of contracting private companies, arguing that the deals carried high technical and schedule risks and that there was no commercial market for spacesuits before this effort. NASA's original target for suit demonstrations in 2025 was deemed overly optimistic and unachievable.
In response, NASA pointed to statements included in the report defending its contract-based approach. Dr Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said Axiom Space had recently completed a key technical review and that testing for mobility, heat control and dust tolerance was underway. She expressed confidence that the suits would support a lunar surface mission by 2028.
Axiom Space CEO Dr Jonathan Cirtain said the company would deliver a qualification unit this year and conduct in-space evaluations in 2027. He affirmed the goal of enabling a 2028 lunar landing. However, the OIG warned that if Axiom cannot meet the deadline, NASA may have to rely on its ageing Extravehicular Mobility Unit suits, designed over 50 years ago and not significantly updated in two decades.
The delay could also affect testing on the International Space Station, which is scheduled for decommissioning in 2030. The OIG noted that NASA's original schedules for suit demonstrations were unrealistic, with delays of at least 18 months already observed.
