In a recent announcement, SpaceX revealed the design of their new spacesuit EVA Suit for astronauts performing spacewalks. The design is based on the existing pressure suits used by astronauts during Crew Dragon missions, but with upgrades for spacewalks.
These upgrades include improved joint designs that offer mobility while remaining comfortable when pressurized. The suit also features enhanced thermal management and a redesigned helmet with a visor-like coating, a built-in camera, and a heads-up display that shows the suit’s status during a spacewalk. Life support for the astronauts will be provided through umbilicals.
The new suits will debut on the Polaris Dawn mission, a private spaceflight mission conducted using the Crew Dragon capsule as part of the Polaris program funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman. Isaacman will be joined by crewmates Kidd Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon on the mission. All four will wear the new suits because depressurizing the Crew Dragon capsule is necessary for the spacewalk, as it lacks an airlock.
During a social media discussion hosted by SpaceX on May 4th, Gillis explained that the spacewalk is expected to last about two hours, including the depressurization and repressurization of the cabin. Two crew members will perform the spacewalk, exiting the capsule through a specially designed “skywalker” at the front hatch. This hatch features handholds and interfaces to assist astronauts during egress.
The primary objective of the spacewalk is to gather data on the performance of the new EVA suits. This data will include assessments of mobility, movement in microgravity, and the overall suit functionality. The astronauts will follow a predetermined “test matrix” to ensure a comprehensive evaluation.
Prior to the mission, SpaceX conducted extensive ground tests on the suits, including a simulation where the Crew Dragon capsule was depressurized inside a vacuum chamber with four “spacesuit simulators” inside. The successful test mimicked the conditions experienced during the uncrewed Crew Dragon Demo-1 mission in 2019.
Modifications were also made to the Crew Dragon capsule itself to accommodate the spacewalk. These include a new repressurization system for restoring cabin pressure after the spacewalk and adjustments to certain materials based on their outgassing properties. “The interior of the capsule will look a bit different compared to what you’ve seen before,” said Gillis.
The new spacesuits will also serve as the standard pressure suits for astronauts during launch and reentry on future Crew Dragon missions. SpaceX plans to eventually combine the functionalities of the EVA suit and the Crew Dragon pressure suit into a single design. Elements of this combined design have already been incorporated into the pressure suits used on Crew-6 mission, based on learnings from the EVA suit development process.
“This suit represents the first iteration of our EVA suit design,” said Stu Keech, SpaceX’s vice president of Dragon. “Following the SpaceX tradition, we will continue to refine the design through upgrades as we learn more from space missions.”
The upcoming Polaris Dawn mission is a significant milestone for the Crew Dragon program, with the spacesuit development playing a critical role. The mission, originally planned for late 2022, has been delayed several times. SpaceX is now targeting an early summer launch for Polaris Dawn.
The Falcon 9 rocket launching the Polaris Dawn mission will propel the Crew Dragon capsule into an elliptical orbit ranging from 190 kilometers to 1,200 kilometers in altitude. The crew will then perform a maneuver to raise the orbit’s apogee to 1,400 kilometers, surpassing the record for the highest altitude crewed mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The spacecraft will remain at the peak altitude for approximately seven orbits while collecting data on the increased radiation environment. It will then descend to 700 kilometers, the designated altitude for the spacewalk. The entire mission is expected to last five days, during which the crew will conduct experiments and assess the capability of the spacecraft to communicate through SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.
The mission’s profile, with its higher altitude and spacewalk, presents new challenges. According to Keech, SpaceX has meticulously evaluated the risks associated with radiation exposure and micrometeoroid/orbital debris impacts for this specific flight path. “The radiation and debris risks for the Polaris Dawn mission will be comparable to those of a standard six-month mission to the International Space Station,” he assured. “Our goal is to push boundaries while prioritizing safety. We take a methodical approach to ensure acceptable risk levels.”
Isaacman mentioned that the crew is kept informed about the differences between the Polaris Dawn mission and typical Crew Dragon missions. “We are confident that SpaceX has addressed any potential concerns,” he concluded.