Nasa unveils new spacesuit to be worn by first woman on moon

Nasa has unveiled a new spacesuit which will be worn by the first woman to walk on the moon.

The next-generation outfits were made for the Artemis programme, which aims to land the first female and next male on the moon by 2024.

The American space agency unveiled a white prototype designed for outside missions and an orange suit for high-risk activity on the inside, such as launch and returning to Earth.

Amy Ross, a spacesuit engineer, said the new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) for outside use has been made more flexible than before, making it easier for astronauts to move and bend.

It is so flexible that it allows users to put their arms overhead, something astronauts during the Apollo programme were not able to do.

"Zippers are bad and cables are bad so we have no zippers or cables on this suit," she explained at a demonstration held in Washington DC.

"There will be fewer seams and new materials that keep the dust out."

The outfits also feature new technology to better manage pressure and the gloves have been improved to allow greater dexterity.

Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine added: "You'll remember, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, they bunny hopped on the surface of the moon, well now we're actually going to be able to walk on the surface of the moon, which is very different than our suits of the past."

The Orion suit used for launch and entry is made from fire-resistant material and features a lighter and stronger helmet, with improvements to reduce noise.

After the moon mission, Nasa is hoping to explore space as far away as Mars.

Kenneth Bowersox, acting associate administrator for human exploration, recently cast some doubt on the target date for the Artemis trip, saying he would not bet anything on it.

Funding and technical challenges still need to come together in order to meet the White House-set deadline, the former space shuttle and space station commander told a congressional subcommittee last month.