China just unveiled new spacesuits for its next lunar mission

China’s new spacesuits are ready to take off.

The country has just unveiled the new generation suits that its taikonauts will wear during its historic lunar mission. The design, which the China Human Space Mission Agency (CMSA) revealed over the weekend, plays a vital role in the country achieving its lofty goal of launching its first crewed mission by 2030, has reported CNN.

According to the developers, the red and white outfit can protect the Moonwalker from extreme temperatures, as well as debris particles and harmful UV rays. The garment, with a slimmer look and increased mobility, also includes an integrated long- and short-range camera, a control console and an anti-glare helmet visor to block the sun’s glare. In terms of aesthetics, the suit is based on traditional Chinese armor: the stripes on its upper half are inspired by the silk ribbons worn by the flying Apsaras in the ancient Dunhuang fresco, while those on its lower half are meant to resemble a “rocket launch”. flames. »

“Unlike missions in low Earth orbit, astronauts will be in a harsh natural lunar environment during lunar extravehicular activities,” said Wu Zhiqiang, deputy chief designer of astronaut systems at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. astronauts, speaking to CCTV. “Complex environmental factors such as high vacuum and low gravity, lunar dust and lunar soil, complex terrain of the lunar surface, high and low temperatures and strong radiation will have a significant impact on work and protection .”

Last February, the CMSA revealed the name of the spacecraft that will take Chinese astronauts to the Moon. Mengzhou, which translates to “Dream Vessel” in English, will be the crew’s official spacecraft, while the lander will be called Lanyue, or “Embracing the Moon,” inspired by a 1965 poem by Chairman Mao Zedong. If and when the mission is completed, China will become the second country to send astronauts to the Moon. It also plans to build a research base near the lunar south pole by 2040. So far, the China National Space Administration has successfully completed the first mission to collect rock and soil samples from the face hidden from the Moon and send them back to Earth.

Meanwhile, NASA demonstrated suits for its upcoming Artemis III mission to the Moon in March last year. The latest spacecraft prototype, created in collaboration with Axiom Space in Houston, will be carried on the Artemis program’s first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17. The month-long mission, which has experienced delays, is currently targeting a launch in September 2026. SpaceX also got in on the spacesuit game, releasing a sleek new look for the astronauts on its successful Polaris Dawn mission.