NASA and the Israel Space Agency have agreed to launch a radiation protection vest from StemRad on the first unmanned flight test of the Orion spacecraft with the Space Launch System.
StemRad said Tuesday intends for its AstroRad vest to measure the potential impact of radiation exposure on humans through the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment, during NASA’s Exploration Mission 1.
The MARE trial would see EM-1 passing through the Van Allen radiation belt.
If the vest accomplishes its purpose, NASA may deploy the garment aboard the International Space Station to support microgravity research efforts beginning in 2019.
StemRad partnered with Lockheed Martin in 2015 to adapt a wearable radiation shield for potential deep-space mission applications.