2024 Moon Landing? Nope!

It’s the suits, the boots, Bezos, and much more

August 22, 2021

There was a flashy video open with dramatic music for the climactic reveal in 2019. NASA’s Administrator at the time was unveiling the new generation of spacesuits that U.S. astronauts would wear on the moon.

(Credit: NASA)

“We are going back to the Moon in 2024 and we will be staying,” has been the mantra of the last two presidential Administrations. But now, NASA’s own experts say astronauts will not return to the moon in 2024. The suits are a big reason why, and Jeff Bezos isn’t helping much either.

"NOT FEASIBLE"

NASA’s own watchdog was blunt; “a lunar landing in late 2024 as NASA currently plans is not feasible.” It’s not just the spacesuits. There are questions about the boots, the rocket, and the capsule to carry the astronauts. If that wasn’t enough there is also the battle Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company is waging over SpaceX winning the bid to build the lunar lander.

(Credit: NASA)

The new suits, known officially as Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Units (xEMU), are nearly 2 years behind the development schedule. As of July 2021, NASA has spent $420 million on xEMU development. They won’t be ready until mid-2025 at the earliest, and NASA will only get two spacesuits then at a cost of $1 billion.

NASA'S "movie preview" of the new spacesuits under development. (Credit: NASA)

Currently the only suits being used by U.S. astronauts are on the International Space Station and that is 45-year-old technology. NASA’s Office of the Inspector General spent nearly a year studying the new spacesuit program which is so far behind.

The Covid pandemic hasn’t helped, but there are plenty of internal problems. The circuit boards that control the Primary Life Support System for the suits had to be “reworked.” NASA staff used the wrong specifications to build an interface for that life support system.

(Credit: NASA)

WHAT ABOUT THE BOOTS?

A worry has also been raised about the boots. NASA is considering landing near the Moon’s South Pole where ice might be found that could be used for water. The boots, according to the Inspector General, “will need to transition from the moderate environment of the lander to the harsh environment of the South Pole and back again.”

Even when the two suits are ready, will the lunar lander be ready to carry astronauts to the surface of the moon?

(Credit: SpaceX)

Earlier this year NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX to use its Starship to land on the moon. That broke with precedent. The space agency usually contracts with at least two competitors. NASA officials say Congress didn’t approve enough money for two competitors, so it picked just one.

BEZOS FIGHTS BACK

While SpaceX is getting ready to send a Starship into orbit for the first time, Bezos’ Blue Origin is fighting NASA’s decision to cut it out of the competition. The company had offered to waive $2 billion in costs. NASA still said no. Bezos is not giving up the fight and is now appealing that decision. He really wants to build a lunar lander.

(credit: Blue Origin)

What does the NASA administrator think of the Moon in 2024? He pointed out that the battle over the lander has already cost the program more than 100 days, and, at a launch of a cargo supply rocket, he had just learned the news from the Inspector General about the spacesuits.

“Space is hard,” said the administrator. But, Senator Bill Nelson says the aspiration of 2024 is still on the table. That seems to be wishful thinking at this point with the Blue Origin appeal, and no suits for the astronauts to wear.

NASA video feature on the development of the xEMU. (Credit: NASA)