Prada and Axiom Space unveil spacesuit designs for NASA’s Artemis III moon mission

Luxury fashion house Prada and commercial space company Axiom Space have unveiled the designs for a spacesuit that will be worn for NASA’s Artemis III moon mission.

Unveiled during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on Wednesday, the mostly white suits feature a cropped torso and stone-gray patches across the elbows and knees. Although conspicuously free of branding or logos, the designs do include red accent lines across the forearms, waist and “portable life system backpacks,” which nod to Prada’s sub-brand, Linea Rossa.

“This is a groundbreaking partnership,” said Russel Ralston, executive vice president of Axiom Space, during the press conference. “We’re blending engineering, science and art.”

The slick looking suits include a range of innovative features. Astronauts will be able to spacewalk for at least eight hours a day due to specially engineered boots. The suits will be made in a white material able to reflect heat, offering protection from extremely high temperatures and lunar dust, according to a joint press release. Mobility has also been improved since the Apollo 17 designs. But it was Prada’s in-depth knowledge of textile production and sewing techniques that helped “bridge the gap” between functionality and style, reads the release.

The suits — which are gender neutral and one size fits all — have also been several years in the making. According to Lorenzo Bertelli, chief marketing officer of Prada Group, the fashion house has been discussing the collaboration since before the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Around 10 Prada employees worked on the spacesuit, commuting between Milan and Axiom’s base in Houston.

The spacesuit is made from a white material that reflects heat and protects astronauts from extreme high temperatures and lunar dust. Courtesy Prada Currently scheduled for the second half of 2026, NASA’s Artemis III mission plans to be the first astronaut moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. If successful, it could also be the first time a woman walks on the moon.

“Today, anyone with deep pockets can go to space,” Bertelli told journalists in Milan. “Soon it’ll become affordable and people will be able to go to the moon. So I think we’re just at the beginning of a new era.”

Source : BBC