China unveils spacesuit that can walk on the moon

SCIENCE: China unveiled the design of its moon landing spacesuit at a ceremony in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality on Saturday (September 28). A technician tested the spacesuit – which China wants to use on a crewed moon mission by 2030 – performing various movements and gestures, including climbing up ladder rungs. The overall design of the moon landing suit is inspired by traditional Chinese armour, underlining the suit’s robust and firm appearance. It also features ribbons, which have always been an important element in Chinese spacesuit designs.

The new lunar suit is an evolution of China’s first indigenous spacesuit, Feitian. Feitian means “flying in the sky” and is the name of a famous Buddhist goddess. “The Feitian extravehicular activity suit is designed for use in low Earth orbit, where astronauts float in a microgravity environment,” said Zhang Wanxin, director of the spacesuit engineering office and deputy chief designer of astronaut systems at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. “Therefore, we chose the ribbon element to express a sense of free flow,” Zhang told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). “The moon-landing suit is designed for lunar explorations such as walking and working on the moon’s surface, so we would also like to express a strong-willed and unshakable spirit, which we organically integrated into the suit’s design.”