HOUSTON, July 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Collins Aerospace, an RTX business (NYSE: RTX) announced today it has been awarded a new task order under NASA's Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services ("xEVAS") contract to modify the company's current spacesuit to support lunar endeavors.

The follow-on task order allows Collins to add on to the company's new spacesuit design, developing elements that are compatible for use on the lunar surface as part of NASA's Artemis missions.

"Our next-generation spacesuit design is nearly 90% compatible with a lunar mission," said Dave Romero, director, EVA & Human Surface Mobility Systems for Collins Aerospace. "This formal contract award will support continued efforts to modify our next-generation spacesuit, making it suitable to tasks on the Moon."

Collins was awarded a task order valued at five million dollars, following a proposal process that required the company to identify the methodologies to develop a crossover product. 

Collins' next-generation suit is lower in weight than the current extravehicular mobility unit and will improve astronaut efficiency, range of motion, and comfort. Designed to fit nearly any body type, it also has an open architecture design that enables the suit to be easily modified as missions change and evolve.

As NASA and Collins continue to advance the xEVAS program with events like Collins' upcoming Critical Design Review and testing, such as a thermal vacuum test and underwater tests held at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab, Collins stands ready to help NASA and its international and commercial partners from low Earth Orbit to deep space.

About RTX 
RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2022 sales of $67 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

About Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace is a business of RTX. Our global team of 73,000 employees dreams, designs and delivers smarter, more connected solutions for passenger safety and comfort, mission success, space exploration, and operational efficiency and sustainability. We make the most powerful concepts in aerospace a reality. For more information, visit CollinsAerospace.com.

Contact: 
Liz Maddy
elizabeth.maddy@collins.com
720-948-9005

SOURCE Raytheon Technologies