ILC Dover Among Industry Team Selected to Provide the Next Generation of Spacesuits for NASA

Collins Aerospace, ILC Dover and Oceaneering to provide NASA with new spacesuit designed by astronauts for astronauts

ILC Dover, the leading provider of spacesuits since the Apollo era, has been selected as part of the Collins Aerospace -led team of industry leaders, along Oceaneering, to produce NASA’s next-generation extravehicular spacesuit. This next-generation extravehicular spacesuit could be worn by astronauts while working outside the International Space Station and soon, on the surface of the Moon.

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“With more than 50 years of providing spacesuits to ensure the safety of American astronauts in the harsh environment of space, working on this new spacesuit has been the perfect project for our expert team”

The spacesuits will be a vital part of NASA’s Artemis missions, which is set to be the historic mission that takes the first female astronaut and next male astronaut to the Moon by 2025. Through collaboration with commercial and international partners, NASA plans to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.

“With more than 50 years of providing spacesuits to ensure the safety of American astronauts in the harsh environment of space, working on this new spacesuit has been the perfect project for our expert team,” said Patty Stoll, President of Space Systems at ILC Dover. “We look forward to returning to the Moon again through this partnership as NASA’s provider of lunar spacesuits.”

ILC Dover will provide the pressure garment, while Collins Aerospace, the prime contractor, will supply the portable life support system (PLSS) and Oceaneering will supply the tools. ILC Dover tailored their Astro spacesuit for NASA to provide a unique pressure garment that offers improved comfort and mobility, fewer components while accommodating a broader range of astronaut sizes, and reduced mass.

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“ILC Dover’s spacesuit pressure garment is designed based on decades of spaceflight experience, cutting edge technology, and extensive work alongside astronauts who have used these suits first-hand,” said Nicole Stott, Senior Technical Advisor for ILC Dover and former NASA astronaut. “As we go back to the Moon and beyond, I’m especially excited about the next generation spacesuit because not only is it more comfortable and flexible, but it will also accommodate the shapes and sizes of all our crew members.”

This award furthers ILC Dover’s industry leading position as the supplier of choice for space-grade engineered soft good solutions. The company is currently partnering with leading aerospace companies to develop a variety of solutions for the next generation space economy, including inflatable habitats, airlocks and shelters for use in low Earth orbit, deep space, and lunar/planetary exploration. ILC Dover’s inflatable habitats are vital as the industry looks to build commercial stations in low orbit and deep space.

Additionally last week, ILC Dover was named by Boeing as one of two providers for their Ascent/Entry Suit (AES) for the company’s Commercial Crew Program developing an AES suit for CST-100 Starliner crews. The company’s spacesuits have been worn during more than 250 space flights, six Moon landings, and over 3,000 hours of spacewalks without a single failure. In addition, ILC Dover provided the landing airbags that created a smooth landing during last week’s successful Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 of its Starliner spacecraft.

ILC Dover will continue to innovate and lead the industry in providing soft solutions for space, from spacesuits and inflatable habitats, to impact bags. Steeped in a deep tradition of safety, ILC Dover’s industry leading experts understand how to deliver soft solutions that exceed expectations. From the first step on the Moon, to the next giant leap onto Mars, ILC Dover looks forward to working in lock-step with NASA and industry to go beyond boundaries.

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