Elon Musk has shown a picture of SpaceX’s very own spacesuit, intended to be used by the first astronauts SpaceX sends on their own mission.
Posting on his Instagram account early Wednesday morning, Musk unveiled the first iteration of his SpaceX spacesuit. According to Musk, it’s not a concept, instead, the spacesuit seen in the picture above is a working prototype.
A spacesuit must provide oxygen, regulate air pressure and temperature as well as deflect cosmic radiation, all while allowing for movement and communication. The suit revealed by Elon Musk has, among other things, been tested under pressure conditions that correspond to what occurs in a vacuum.
However, this first version of SpaceX’s own suits won’t be used for space walks, instead, they will protect astronauts from any potential loss of cabin pressure during flight.
At present, there is not much more information about the spacesuit, but Musk writes on Instagram that the company will reveal more information about the suit in the coming days.
NASA is also working on its own advanced much more sleek spacesuit design for the Orion program, which will take astronauts to deep-space destinations beyond Earth orbit.