The primary goals of NASA's Constellation Program are to maintain an American presence in low Earth orbit, to return to the moon for purposes of establishing an outpost, and to lay a foundation to explore Mars and beyond in the first half of the 21st century.

Under the new Constellation Space Suit System (CSSS) contract, Harris will supply a radiation-hardened, software-defined radio (SDR); a voice-only contingency radio; and low profile antennas. The SDR provides the flexibility and adaptability required to accommodate evolving voice and data networking requirements of future lunar missions with the goal of future-proofing the space suit's communications system.

The new modular space-suit system will include two configurations for individual crewmembers during Orion missions: one for low Earth orbit, and a second for lunar surface extravehicular activity.

It is the first new U.S. space suit to be developed since those designed for the Space Shuttle program. NASA awarded the contract to the Oceaneering International team last week to design, build, test, certify, produce, process, and integrate the new space suit system.

"This award represents a strategic win for Harris in a market that we have targeted for growth. Harris technology will help NASA realize its vision for the next generation of space exploration," said Frank Van Rensselaer, vice president and senior executive account manager for NASA Programs at Harris Government Communications Systems.

"We are very pleased to be working with Oceaneering International on this important initiative that helps to ensure the comfort and safety of our nation's astronauts, while providing them the most advanced communications technology available."

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