Chief Engineer Jim Stein wears the new spacesuit during the Axiom Space Artemis III Lunar Spacesuit event at Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas, on March 15, 2023. – “Since a spacesuit worn on the Moon must be white to reflect heat and protect astronauts from extreme high temperatures, a cover layer is currently being used for display purposes only to conceal the suits proprietary design, ” Axion said in a press release.
Mark Felix | Afp | Getty Images
Space company Axiom raised $350 million in a round that was led by Saudi-owned Aljazira Capital and Korean healthcare investment firm Boryung, the company announced on Monday.
Houston-based Axiom trains and flies both private and government astronauts on missions to the International Space Station via launches with SpaceX. It’s developing human spaceflight technologies including a commercial space station and a lunar spacesuit.
The company said the investment will further its development efforts. It has over $2 billion in customer contracts to date, Axiom said Monday. Its flown two crews to the ISS, including the recently completed Ax-2 mission, and is working to launch its first space station module by 2026.
In a statement, Aljazira Capital CEO and managing director Naif Almesned said backing Axiom is “in line with the Saudi Vision 2030’s transformative approach.”
This story originally appeared on CNBC
