SpaceX recently announced new spacesuits for the Polaris Dawn mission, marking a significant innovation in space exploration and future space colonization. The crew will be equipped with a specially designed extravehicular activity (EVA) suit for the historic five-day journey, which will include the first commercial spacewalk. The unveiling of the new suits comes after the company posted a presentation video on its website.
These new suits are a modified version of the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suits currently used on SpaceX missions aboard the Dragon spacecraft. They will be the first time this technology is deployed in low Earth orbit. The launch of the Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled for no earlier than summer 2024, according to SpaceX. Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, emphasized the importance of these suits in preparing for ambitious goals such as building bases on the Moon and cities on Mars.
The design and use of these suits on spacewalks represent crucial steps toward a scalable design for future long-duration missions, which are essential for multiplanetary life. The Polaris program, initially announced by billionaire Jared Isaacman in February 2022, has faced challenges, including the development of the new EVA suits. Musk explained that the main challenge was designing a suit that allows for agile movement despite pressurization.
