“First picture of SpaceX spacesuit. More in days to follow. Worth noting that this actually works (not a mockup). Already tested to double vacuum pressure. Was incredibly hard to balance esthetics and function. Easy to do either separately.” – Elon Musk
This is the first look at the spacesuit SpaceX aims to use for its first mission, thanks to Elon Musk and his team.
The photo bellow was shared by the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk.
The image is definitely not a replica, but an actual shot of a fully functional suit that could endure double the pressure of the vacuum of Space.
The reveal today is similar to photos of a SpaceX suit that surfaced years ago on reddit. The design is very elegant and feels right at home in a sci-fi flick, while simultaneously paying homage to the old school suits NASA astronauts wore to the moon.
The suit features a helmet and what appears to be a low-weight design. Given that it doesn’t look as bulky as NASA’s spacewalk suits, this is probably more of a flight suit meant to be worn by passengers traveling inside the ship rather than for spacewalks.
Elon Musk noted that getting the right balance of form and function was not an easy task, and you can tell from the accents and lines on the suit that it was clearly designed to exude style vs. other spacesuits. It looks svelte and tight to the body, too, which is somewhat like Boeing’s new spacesuit for its first commercial crewed space missions, but with more emphasis on fashionable looks and possibly an even slimmer line.
It is clear that Elon chose to develop their own suit which is different from Boeing’s approach, where it partnered with spacesuit specialist David Clark Company.
That’s par for the course for SpaceX, however, which has brought a lot of its design and manufacturing in-house in order to lower costs and achieve greater control over the supply chain.
Musk promised more to follow in the coming days in terms of spacesuit details, so expect additional images, including likely a full-body view reveal at some point!
Sources used: Tech Crunch, CNBC, The Verge
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