The AstroRad vest, a specialized piece of protective equipment designed to shield astronauts from solar particle events, has transitioned from space flight testing to public exhibition. Developed through a partnership between the US-Israeli startup StemRad and the aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, the vest was utilized during NASA’s Artemis I mission to the moon.

During the mission, the vest was worn by a manikin named Zohar, which was placed inside the Orion spacecraft. The goal of the experiment was to measure the vest's ability to protect vital organs from high-energy radiation, which poses a significant health risk to humans traveling beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field. Following the completion of the mission, the vest has been moved to a museum in Florida for public display.

Recent findings indicate that the technology successfully mitigates radiation exposure. While the primary focus of the reporting has been on the vest's technical performance and its successful deployment in the Artemis program, the collaboration highlights the growing role of private-sector startups in international space exploration initiatives. The study associated with the mission data suggests that the vest provides a viable solution for future long-duration missions, such as those planned for Mars, where radiation exposure remains a primary safety concern for mission planners.