NASA and Axiom react to OIG Report on delays in Next-Generation Spacesuit Program

NASA and Axiom Space responded after NASA's inspector general warned that next-generation spacesuits for Artemis lunar missions and the International Space Station could slip well into the next decade.

The response keeps xEVAS schedule risk in focus because NASA is depending on Axiom after Collins exited its task orders, leaving Artemis lunar EVA planning and late-ISS spacewalk support with little near-term provider redundancy.

NASA's position is that adding a new provider now would not solve the immediate schedule pressure, especially after Collins was descoped from the xEVAS work. Axiom said it is continuing development toward the agency's milestones while working through the testing and certification load.

The story is less about a single suit milestone than about acquisition resilience. NASA chose a commercial services model for developmental EVA hardware, and the OIG findings show how quickly that model narrows when one supplier leaves and the remaining provider has to carry both lunar and microgravity suit paths.