A NASA spacesuit test exposed a fit problem—and shaped a lunar design

Jaclyn Kagey’s experience with a legacy spacesuit that fit but restricted her movement led her to advocate for designs accommodating a wider range of body types. NASA reports that she later completed her first test in Axiom Space’s lunar suit, a concrete change in who could carry out the test—not evidence of broader operational outcomes.

Published by Alder News

An editorial point of view: Mara Ellison

2026-05-25

Kagey could put on the legacy Extravehicular Mobility Unit and pass its fit check, but its proportions were too large for her to move as the test required. The report links that experience to her advocacy for suit designs that support a wider range of body types. ^[S1]

The reported next step was a test, not a claim about completed lunar operations: Kagey completed her first test in Axiom Space’s lunar Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit on the Active Response Gravity Offload System at Johnson Space Center in Houston. ^[S1]

Source documents

Jaclyn Kagey Shapes Humanity’s Return to the Moonhttps://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/jaclyn-kagey-shapes-humanitys-return-to-the-moon/