Boeing unveils new spacesuits for astronauts; to be worn during Starliner's ISS missions

Boeing unveiled its ascent and entry suit (AES) which would be worn by astronauts during the company's future crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS). The replica of the spacesuits has been made public at "Gateway: The Deep Space Complex", which opened on May 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. In the visitor complex, models of Boeing's Starliner capsule have also been displayed, pictures of which the company shared on Twitter.

According to CollectSPACE, the suit has been designed by Adam Savage, who is popular for designing high-detailed spacesuits and hosts a TV show named 'Mythbusters'. However, the original design of the spacesuit is by Delaware-based manufacturer ILC Dover, which is also a part of the Collins Aerospace-led team for making suits for NASA. Although, what's worth noting is that the new blue spacesuit will not be used until 2023 and the costumes for astronauts of Boeing's Crew Flight Test (CFT) are being designed by the US-based David Clark Company.

Boeing's CFT mission

On June 16, NASA announced that it has selected astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore for Boeing's CFT mission. Williams will serve as the mission pilot whereas Wilmore as the mission commander with Mike Fincke as the backup pilot. The duo would launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force station on a yet-to-be-finalised date.

Notably, Williams has been training with NASA and Boeing for the CFT which will soon take her off for her third long-duration mission. Williams, along with Wilmore will stay and work aboard the ISS for two weeks. NASA said that if the CFT mission turns out to be successful, it will begin the process of certifying Starliner for regular commercial launches to the space station. Boeing is one of the two companies, apart from SpaceX, who were awarded contracts to send astronauts and cargo to space for NASA.