HELSINKI -- China's human spaceflight agency has revealed the exterior design of the spacesuit for the country's future crewed lunar landing missions.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) unveiled the extravehicular lunar suit on September 28 in Chongqing, southwest China. CMSA is also soliciting suggestions for a name for the suit.
The suit is being developed as one element of China's goal of landing astronauts on the moon before 2030. China is also currently working on a new human-rated launcher, the Long March 10, a deep space crew spacecraft, and a crew lander for the mission. A crew rover is also being designed.
As part of the reveal, a promotional video showcased both the outer appearance and the suit's key capabilities. Astronauts Wang Yaping, China's second woman in space, and Zhai Zhigang modeled the EVA suit.
The suit is described as having a comprehensively protective fabric that shields against the harsh thermal environment and lunar dust. The helmet features a panoramic, anti-glare visor, along with separate long and short focal length cameras. A multi-functional integrated control console is on the chest.
The suit also incorporates elements of Chinese culture. The red stripes on its upper sections are inspired by ribbons from the famous 'flying apsaras' of Dunhuang art. The overall design of the lunar suit draws on the style of traditional Chinese armor.
In contrast to China's Feitian EVA suit used in low Earth orbit, the lunar suit is designed to be lightweight, catering to the demands of activities in a low-gravity environment. It allows for movements such as squatting and bending.
Wang Chunhui, deputy chief designer of the astronauts training systems at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, stated that the suit was designed to handle various harsh conditions, including vacuum and low gravity, lunar dust and regolith, complex surface topography, and extreme temperatures. It also needs to protect astronauts from a high radiation environment.
'Considering that they are working under one-sixth gravity, in order to reduce the metabolic load of the human body, it is essential to greatly reduce the suit's weight,' Wang said. 'As astronauts will walk on the lunar surface and carry out scientific research activities, the spacesuits must have better ergonomic support capabilities, and be smaller and more integrated.'
China's crewed landing plan is for two astronauts to make a short, roughly six-hour stay on the lunar surface. However, the mission is part of a longer-term lunar exploration effort.
The country will send robotic missions to the lunar south pole in 2026 and 2028 for resource surveys and in-situ resource utilization tests as a precursor to a moon base. The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) is set to be built in the 2030s, capable of hosting short-term human stays.
Meanwhile, NASA is working on its Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon and establish a sustained lunar presence. The Artemis 3 crewed landing mission is currently scheduled for no earlier than September 2026, although potential delays have been indicated.
Both China and NASA are engaged in efforts to attract partners for ILRS and Artemis respectively.