NASA is simplifying the spacesuit design for its early crewed lunar landings, opting for a lighter "Sortie Suit" variant to be developed with Axiom Space, as the agency tries to keep its accelerated 2028 target for returning astronauts to the Moon's South Pole. The move, directed by Artemis Program Manager Jeremy Parsons, aims to cut the suit's mass and complexity and simplify how it connects with landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, reflecting new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's broader push to get the delayed Artemis programme back on schedule before China can land there first.

Axiom Space has been NASA's sole lunar spacesuit provider since Collins Aerospace withdrew from its parallel contract in 2024, but sources have raised concerns about the pace of Axiom's progress on its AxEMU suit design. Former astronaut Charlie Precourt told the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel this week that NASA leadership is now meeting Axiom representatives six days a week to address schedule and performance issues, including shortened certification requirements. Industry rumours suggest Axiom's original suit design significantly exceeded its mass budget, partly due to demanding NASA specifications later criticised as "over-burdensome" by the agency's inspector general, such as capability for six spacewalks in 6.5 days and two hours of operation in permanently shadowed, extremely cold regions.