I have to admit to missing this story at the end of June when it first broke, but one of the two companies NASA awarded a contract to develop their next generation space suits has given up on the job.
The story dates back almost exactly two years to the start of June of 2022.
...NASA chose a pair of private companies to design and develop new spacesuits. These were to be new spacesuits that would allow astronauts to both perform spacewalks outside the International Space Station as well as walk on the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
The two companies were Axiom Space, whom we've talked about several times
here, and Collins Aerospace. I recall remarking at the time that Collins
Aerospace was a surprise to me. They're a descendant of an early radio
company that hams will have heard of, Collins Radio (I have an early '60s
vintage Collins KWM-2 in my ham shack). Over the years, they became a
subsidiary of Rockwell International as Rockwell Collins and then were
acquired in rapid succession by United Technologies Corporation and then
Raytheon before becoming Collins Aerospace. At no time that I'm aware of were
they involved with space suits.
Less than one year later, in March of '23, Axiom showed prototypes of their suits. At the end of June '24, Collins Aerospace backed out of the contract.
The development was first reported by Reuters on Wednesday (June 26). "Collins' role in the program has been bumpy and development has fallen behind schedule, and the company has been in talks with NASA officials on how to wind down its role in the program," Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions.
The agency provided an update on Wednesday. "After a thorough evaluation, NASA and Collins Aerospace have mutually agreed to descope the existing task orders on the Collins Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services contract," NASA said in a statement.
It's unclear what NASA will do in response. One alternative is to keep going with Axiom as their only supplier, but NASA seems to really want a vibrant, wide-reaching, private space industry to draw on. Add to that, Axiom isn't going flawlessly smooth, either. Axiom has yet to complete the critical design review (CDR) process, which can be demanding. They're also battling a difficult supply chain environment, which is especially problematic given that NASA hasn't built new suits for a long time - some since the 1980s.
Another alternative is to open the bidding process again. A wildcard that wasn't available two years ago is SpaceX, who has designed an extravehicular activity suit for the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. This suit is so radically different from the Axiom suit that it must be designed to be used differently.
The Polaris Dawn crew wearing their EVA suits. All four will need to be protected from the vacuum during the space walk as the Dragon capsule will be opened to space for the duration. Image credit: ShaneMielke.com the developer of the Heads Up Display (HUD) inside the suit.
Ah Collins radios were quite the thing in the sixties. The signal battalion I was in was testing a KWM-2A. You key that thing and a 5kw gennie would just about choke and die until the fuel pump caught up. Yah I am that old, 85 the 29th.
ReplyDeleteCollins also made broadcast transmitters. I worked with a few of them back in the 70s.
ReplyDeleteFrom Apple News
ReplyDeleteIn a separate announcement Wednesday, Boeing named Kelly Ortberg as the company’s CEO, effective August 8. He will replace Dave Calhoun, whose tenure as Boeing’s chief executive was marred by scandals with the 737 MAX passenger airplane. Ortberg was previously CEO of Rockwell Collins, now known as Collins Aerospace, a major supplier of avionics and other parts for the aerospace industry
ZeroHedge ran that, too. While I think a lot of what's being blamed on Boeing really belongs on the airlines (Southwest, Alaska Air, - those guys) not doing the maintenance as well as they should and foreign pilots not being trained as well as they should be, Boeing has some responsibility. It's just hard to know how much.
Delete> NASA seems to really want a vibrant, wide-reaching, private space industry to draw on
ReplyDeleteAfter Apollo NASA became both gun control for the largest weapons, ICBMs, and an iron curtain to prevent escape to the frontier. They have been highly successful at their mission.
What happened to NASA's previous suit vendor? Were they not asked, or did they decline to bid? I think David Clark, the headset people, were making them at one time.
ReplyDeleteSpace-X designs suits that looks like something for next year's Hollywood blockbuster.
ReplyDeleteNASA probably designs suits that look like Jules Verne by way of Steampunk.
This is my shocked face.
I'm not surprised... It's a unique area that almost nobody has experience in.
ReplyDeleteSince none have been made in decades, my first assumption would be that their maker is either out of business or not making them any more...
Like torpedoes, sonobuoys, and other very specialized items, once the expertise is gone , it is VERY difficult to recover.
Jonathan