From Connecticut to the moon: Work on NASA’s next-generation spacesuit returns to Windsor Locks
Work is returning to Connecticut to make NASA’s next-generation spacesuit.
Collins Aerospace, a division of Raytheon Technologies Corp., announced Wednesday that the space agency selected the aerospace manufacturer, ILC Dover of Newark, Del., and Oceaneering International of Houston to make the spacesuit that astronauts could wear when working outside the International Space Station and, in the coming decade, on the moon.
The development work will be completed in Houston, and the spacesuit will be engineered and designed in Windsor Locks, said a spokeswoman for Collins. The spacesuit program will be managed at Windsor Locks.
“Collins was there when the first man walked on the moon, and we’ll be there when humankind goes back,” said Phil Jasper, president of Mission Systems at Collins Aerospace.
Hamilton Standard, an aviation manufacturer based in Windsor Locks, played a large role in making the early spacesuit in the 1960s. Its work was continued by its successor, Hamilton Sundstrand.
Formerly a unit of United Technologies Corp., the Hamilton Sundstrand brand was replaced by UTC Aerospace Systems after United Technologies bought North Carolina-based aircraft parts manufacturer Goodrich in 2011. United Technologies expanded its aerospace business in 2018 with the acquisition of Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and its 2020 merger with Raytheon Co. to become Raytheon Technologies Corp.
ILC Dover designs spacesuits, space habitats and inflatable landing systems. Oceaneering provides engineering services and products and manufactures robotics for the offshore energy, defense, aerospace, manufacturing and entertainment industries.
Collins said the spacesuits protect against temperatures ranging from minus-250° to 250°while providing functionality and mobility. The next generation spacesuits contain life support components such as oxygen supply, electrical power, ventilation and hydration. A liquid cooling and ventilation garment worn under the suit regulates body temperatures during spacewalks.
The suit is designed to improve mobility and weigh less than the current generation spacesuits, allowing for increased mission times. It also can accommodate nearly every astronaut body type and rapidly incorporate new technologies.
The spacesuit is being designed for work on the International Space Station and the Artemis program led by NASA with international and U.S. partners to return humans to the moon, specifically the lunar south pole, by 2025.
NASA pitched business in Connecticut in 2019. Many aviation and aerospace businesses in the state can make an easy transition to space. Propulsion systems, air filtering equipment, avionics and other components are already being manufactured in Connecticut.
Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
