NASA astronauts Loral O'Hara and Stan Love successfully completed the first dual-suit training exercise utilizing the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) in September 2025 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This rigorous simulation, conducted within NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), served to validate critical aspects of crew coordination and tandem life-support performance essential for forthcoming complex surface excursions during the Artemis lunar exploration program.
The #AxEMU underwent testing in @KBRincorporated's vacuum chamber in San Antonio, #Texas. It was the first uncrewed thermal vacuum test of the AxEMU Pressure Garment to evaluate its capabilities to face the extreme temperatures of space. This test brings us one step closer to
The event marked a significant procedural step toward returning humans to the lunar surface, as O'Hara and Love simultaneously operated two fully integrated AxEMU units while executing simulated lunar operations. The training required the astronauts to perform tasks mirroring anticipated activities near the lunar South Pole, including collecting rock samples and navigating obstacles side-by-side. Key personnel involved in the integration and evaluation included Axiom Space astronaut Koichi Wakata, who had previously tested an individual AxEMU unit in May 2025, alongside NASA engineers Kristine Davis and Richard Rhodes.
The AxEMU, developed by Axiom Space, represents a substantial technological advancement over Apollo-era hardware, incorporating features such as custom-designed gloves, redundant life support systems, and a regenerable carbon dioxide scrubbing system. The suit's outer layer is engineered to manage the extreme thermal environment of the Moon, protecting against temperatures ranging from -208 degrees Fahrenheit to +250 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, the suit is designed to accommodate a broad spectrum of crew members, fitting between the first and 99th percentile anthropometrically, an improvement in sizing flexibility over previous Extravehicular Activity (EVA) hardware.
The successful tandem test, conducted in the NBL's 6.2 million-gallon water facility, directly addresses the logistical and coordination challenges inherent in crewed lunar surface operations that cannot be fully replicated in single-suit evaluations. This progression from earlier individual suit testing to a full operational simulation confirms the readiness of the NBL facility and its support protocols to advance to the next phase of Artemis preparation, building upon the NBL's history of supporting EVA rehearsals for the International Space Station.
