A Brooklyn-based startup is designing a next-gen spacesuit for the space tourism industry
By Clay Dillow Posted 07.18.2012 at 5:33 pm 7 Comments

FFD's Next-Gen Spacesuit, Under Development via Kickstarter

An unlikely duo has launched an unlikely commercial space company in an unlikely place. A former Roscosmos (that’s the Russian space agency) employee and the designer famous for crafting the Victoria’s Secret angel wings are teaming to create next-generation space suits for the commercial spaceflight industry in Brooklyn. Final Frontier Design yesterday cleared its funding goal on Kickstarter by more than $7,000, and is on its way to developing a new breed of intra-vehicular space suit.

These new spacesuits are designed with the space tourism market in mind. Building on earlier iterations of spacesuits they’ve designed, Nikolay Moiseev and Ted Southern are focusing on extending the operating pressure envelope, reducing weight, and--perhaps most importantly--trimming the per suit price tag. That’s not to say it will be cheap; FFD is trying to bring a suit to market for $50,000. Still, that beats out the price of NASA’s suits by a long shot.

According to their Kickstarter pitch, FFD is trying to construct their suit and put it on the way toward NASA certification by the end of the year. If they pull it off, their 3G suit could be skirting the heavens aboard commercial space vehicles within the next few years--no angel wings required. More over at Co.Design.

[Co.Design]

7 Comments

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Robot
07/18/12 at 5:59 pm

I can only assume, much more private paid for flights to space are coming!

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BigityBalzworth
07/18/12 at 11:13 pm

Let me be the first to say that I am not flying into a vacuum wearing a suit that is a) made by a Victoria Secret designer, or B) kickstarter funded to goal less than the cost of a new car. Unless, that is, I'm doing in a spacecraft made of legos!!

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Hernberger
07/19/12 at 10:49 am

First of all Bigity, you fail to acknowledge there is also a SPACE AGENCY EMPLOYEE working on it. Secondly, the Kickstarter funding wasn't a total of $7000, they raised $7000 MORE than they were attempting to. That probably means the project itself was funded at ballpark $100,000 or so.

On the other hand, I'd love to see your Lego spacecraft.

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killerT
07/19/12 at 11:33 am

Will they also be designing the red shirt to wear under this suit?

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Tuvix
07/19/12 at 4:28 pm

Glad i'm atleast wearing a yellow shirt. hehe

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BigityBalzworth
07/19/12 at 7:28 pm

Hernberger, 20 grand, dude. you should have spent 5 seconds going to the kickstarter page like i did before posting your willfully uninformed comments

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Nix
11/05/12 at 12:46 am

As long as this lacy suit of animal print holds the air in I will be happy.

Nothing worse then the headline "Man fond dead in space only wearing Victoria Secrets private apparel"



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