Israeli-made AstroRad vest could cut astronauts' solar-storm radiation by up to 60%

A study published in Science Advances and reported on 13 August 2026 found that AstroRad, a radiation-protection vest developed by the US-Israeli company StemRad with Lockheed Martin, could greatly reduce the radiation dose astronauts would receive during a severe solar storm in deep space. The research, led by StemRad's Jordan Houri with US, German and Israeli scientists, was supported by NASA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Israel Space Agency.

The data come from the MARE experiment on NASA's uncrewed Artemis I mission around the Moon in late 2022. Two identical female-torso mannequins, Helga and Zohar, rode in the Orion capsule for almost a month, packed with thousands of radiation sensors. Zohar wore the 26-kilogram vest, which shields the organs most vulnerable to radiation, including the lungs, stomach, bone marrow, breasts and ovaries; Helga flew without one. Houri described it as the largest experiment ever conducted on astronaut radiation exposure beyond low Earth orbit.

Because Artemis I did not meet a major solar storm, the team used computer models checked against the mission's measurements to simulate two historic events. For a storm like that of August 1972, the vest cut the dose by about 60 percent; for the more penetrating storm of 1989, by nearly 40 percent. According to TPS, the vest also gave about 30 percent more effective protection than whole-body shielding of the same weight, and the authors estimate it could spare astronauts the equivalent of weeks to months of extra deep-space radiation exposure. The vest is meant to be put on only during solar particle events.

StemRad chief executive Dr. Oren Milstein called the test a significant milestone for the company. The vest did not fly on the crewed Artemis II mission because of limited cabin space, but it may become a carry-on for future lunar crews. Zohar and the vest are now on display at the Kennedy Space Center.