ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is suited, booted and ready for his Cosmic Kiss mission. As a member of US Commercial Crew-3 he will be launched to the International Space Station in a Crew Dragon spacecraft in around one month’s time for his first six-month stay in orbit.

Matthias is pictured in the SpaceX spacesuit that he will wear alongside his crew mates, NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Thomas Marshburn and Raja Chari, during their journey to and from space.

Each SpaceX spacesuit is tailor-made for its wearer. The helmet is 3D printed and its gloves are designed to work with the touchscreens on board. The suit’s primary purpose is to protect astronauts from the unlikely event of depressurisation. However, it also helps regulate an astronaut’s body temperature and provides hearing and fire protection.

When an astronaut enters the Dragon capsule, they plug the suit into their seat using an umbilical. This provides the electronics to power communications, air to cool the suit and gas to pressurise the garment when needed.

This suit is only worn in the Crew Dragon capsule, not during spacewalks. Matthias is trained and certified in both the US Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) and Russian Orlan spacesuits for any spacewalk he may perform in orbit.

Matthias will be launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Sunday, 31 October.

During his six-month mission known as ‘Cosmic Kiss’, Matthias will support numerous European and international experiments in microgravity. Knowledge gained as a result of his mission will shape the future of space exploration and help enhance life on Earth.

For more about Matthias and the Cosmic Kiss mission visit the dedicated page on this website or follow Matthias on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for regular updates.