KBR (NYSE: KBR) and Axiom Space recently completed three successful crewed underwater tests of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at Johnson Space Center —an important milestone as both companies work to support NASA's return to the Moon.
These initial crewed tests involved an astronaut being fully submerged in the NBL’s 6.2-million-gallon pool while wearing Axiom Space’s next-generation spacesuit, the AxEMU, which is being developed for use on NASA’s Artemis III mission. The goal was to evaluate the suit’s integrity in an environment that closely simulates the weightlessness of space.
Throughout the tests, the suit remained completely sealed and airtight, signifying it’s ready for more advanced evaluations, and ultimately, future missions.
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Download free sample pages"These successful tests demonstrate KBR's leadership in supporting human spaceflight and next generation EVA systems,” said Mark Kavanaugh, KBR’s President, Defense, Intel and Space. “Working in close partnership with NASA and Axiom Space, our team delivered mission critical support that showcases our technical depth, operational excellence and ability to advance innovative space solutions. As commercial space activity accelerates, KBR remains at the forefront, delivering capabilities that drive performance, safety and long-term growth.”
KBR’s role in this achievement is part of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) contract, which supports NASA’s evaluation of the next-generation spacesuit. The suit is designed to be more versatile, reliable and adaptable to the evolving needs of space exploration, including future missions to the moon and beyond. Testing is critical to validating the suit's performance and confirming its readiness for operational use.
“Axiom Space is proud to have KBR’s decades of expertise in spacesuit innovation supporting the AxEMU,” said Russell Ralston, Executive Vice President of Extravehicular Activity, Axiom Space. “With KBR further enabling the AxEMU, astronauts will return to the south pole of the Moon with more flexibility, mobility, and protection to live and work in the harsh lunar environment.”
Together, KBR and Axiom Space continue to support the next era of human space exploration, helping astronauts train, suit up and safely carry out missions in space.
