Fashion met the future this week as Houston-based Axiom Space and the Prada apparel brand revealed the design of the spacesuit that NASA astronauts will wear during their upcoming journey to the moon.
Axiom, a space exploration company, and Prada, a fixture in the world of luxury fashion, debuted their design of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy.
Set for 2026, NASA’s Artemis III mission will be the first “staffed” lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. Four astronauts have been selected for the 30-day mission.
Components of the white, gray, and red spacesuit include:
- Lights
- HD camera
- Cellular communications
- “Endurance athlete”-style nutrition
- Backpack with portable life support system
- Custom-made gloves
- Boots designed to withstand lunar temperatures and rough terrain
The spacesuit work is being performed under a nearly $1.3 billion NASA contract. Photo courtesy of Axiom Space
Axiom says the suit, which fits men and women, will enable astronauts to perform a spacewalk for at least eight hours. It’s geared toward lunar missions and low-earth-orbit missions.
“The AxEMU has significant advancements in safety, mobility, sizing, and performance,” the company says.
During development of the suit, Axiom placed a dark cover on the outer layer to conceal the suit’s proprietary technology. However, the suits worn on the lunar surface will be made from a white material that reflects heat, and protects astronauts from extreme high temperatures and lunar dust.
The spacesuit work is being performed under a nearly $1.3 billion NASA contract.
“Going beyond our limits is one of the company’s values that perfectly reflects the spirit of the Prada brand and my parents’ vision. I’m very proud of the result we’re showing today, which is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space,” Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada’s chief marketing officer and head of corporate social responsibility, says in a news release.
Axiom says the suit is near the final stage of development. Already, it has gone through testing by astronauts and engineers at Axiom, NASA, and SpaceX facilities. Among the tests were reduced-gravity simulations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and underwater simulations at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, also in Houston.
The suit will undergo an in-depth design review in 2025.
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