The head of the SpaceX company Elon Musk offered the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) assistance in the development of spacesuits. Earlier, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin prepared a report (.pdf), according to which the landing of astronauts on the moon in 2024 is not possible, including due to delays in the development of spacesuits.
“SpaceX can do this if need be,” Elon Musk wrote on Twitter, commenting on the related publication.
Mr. Martin said in his report that two new xEMU (Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit) spacesuits should be manufactured by November 2024, but NASA “faces significant difficulties in achieving this goal.” According to him, the delay in the planned work has already reached 20 months. It arose due to lack of funding, the coronavirus pandemic and technical problems. It is now assumed that the suits will be ready for flight no earlier than April 2025.
In September last year, NASA presented an updated plan for the Artemis lunar program. According to the schedule, the first unmanned flight to the moon is scheduled for 2021, and the landing on the moon is scheduled for 2024. SpaceX has won a contract to bring astronauts to the lunar surface.
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