“Houston, we have a new spacesuit,” Prada is developing a model for a trip to the moon

Italian luxury group Prada and Houston-based startup Axiom Space on Wednesday unveiled a spacesuit design that will be used on NASA’s Artemis III mission to the moon, planned for 2026.

In appearance, the spacesuit is not too far from what astronauts wore in the past. It’s a basic bulky white suit with added red trim and gray patches on the knees and elbows.

The new Axiom Extravehicle Mobility Unit (AxEMU), as the suit is known, was unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan. Its goal is to combine functionality and high-tech aesthetics to cope with difficult lunar conditions.

Artemis III is planned to be the first lunar landing by an astronaut since Apollo 17 in 1972.

“Houston, we have a new suit. “Axiom Space unveils the flight design of its lunar suit that NASA astronauts will wear on the Artemis III mission when they set foot on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years,” NASA’s Artemis mission said in a post on your X account. .

The suits were made to withstand extreme temperatures at the moon’s south pole and withstand colder temperatures in permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours, the two companies said in a joint statement.

Astronauts will be able to go into outer space for at least eight hours.

AxEMU has already undergone extensive testing, including underwater to simulate the lunar environment. According to both companies, it is in the final stages of development.

“I am very proud of the result we showed today, and this is just the first step of a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada’s chief marketing officer.

Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space, said the project was based on combining the skills of workers from the two groups.

“Innovation really happens when we bring together different teams, different backgrounds, different backgrounds and different skills,” Ondler said.

As the space exploration and tourism sectors evolve, luxury brands are exploring potential partnerships.

Last month, French fashion house Pierre Cardin unveiled a training suit for astronauts to be used at the European Space Agency’s center in Cologne.

Hilton Hotels Group is collaborating with Voyager Space to design and develop crew accommodations for the commercial space station Starlab.

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