The astronaut will wear Prada: “The first shoes on the moon after Apollo 17 will be from Axiom Space”

The beginning of what we might call the “conquest of space” dates back to the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union fought for dominance in space. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, marking the beginning of the space age. This milestone was followed by the launch of Sputnik 2, carrying the dog Laika, the first living creature to orbit the Earth. In response, the United States stepped up its space efforts and launched its own satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. These early achievements laid the foundation for future manned and unmanned spaceflight and also marked the beginning of the space race between the two countries. superpowers, which were later joined by other countries. All of this culminated in the arrival of man on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Humans’ obsession with other planets has become palpable in recent decades, leading to the creation of various companies dedicated to (literally) conquering space. Of all of them, Axiom Space seems to be the most unique and the furthest from the interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon motto, which reads: “Think bigger– and which consists in trying to take something beyond the (apparent) limits of its concept -. All this despite stiff competition: SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, which revolutionized the aerospace industry by focusing on rocket reuse and lowering the cost of access to space; The company has launched numerous commercial missions and sent payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) and beyond. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, develops reusable rockets and spacecraft for suborbital tourism and lunar exploration, and is also working on projects to create human bases on this satellite. Other companies, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Sierra Nevada Corporation, are developing technologies for space exploration, including advanced propulsion systems, manned spacecraft and life support systems.

Founded in 2016 by a team of NASA veterans and aerospace industry leaders, Axiom Space has chosen a different path: its primary goal is to build and operate the world’s first commercial space station, but its vision goes much further and relates to the concept of a sector in which dinosaurs abound and in which the rates are usually either extremely conservative or extremely extreme. The path to creating the company began with the vision of its CEO, Mike Suffredini. During his time at NASA, Suffredini served as the International Space Station program manager, where he gained extensive experience in the construction and operation of space stations.

Axiom’s founder became interested in space exploration while studying aerospace engineering at the University of Texas. The orbital mechanics course allowed him to become immersed in the world of satellites and low-Earth orbit, which ultimately led to a career at NASA and the eventual creation of Axiom Space. “As I was getting close to leaving NASA, I had a conversation with longtime friend and colleague Dr. Kam Ghaffarian, where he essentially asked me what I was going to do next. I told him that all I know how to do is build and operate a space station, so maybe I’ll just wait until someone decides to build a commercial station. He said, ‘Well, let me think about it,’ and a day or two later he called me and said he would fund the company, now Axiom Space,” Suffredini says. Vanity Fair.

Since then, Axiom Space has gone from a bold idea to a tangible reality, pursuing projects such as building additional modules for the ISS and the aforementioned planning for its own independent space station, which will become a commercial successor to the ISS after its decommissioning. its operation at the end of the decade. But beyond focusing on building space stations, Axiom Space has a broader mission: “A large part of Axiom Space’s vision is to make space more accessible to countries and people around the world. Our goal is to promote scientific research and production in microgravity environments; a unique environment that can lead to advances in various fields such as medicine, materials science and biology. “We are already partnering with governments, research institutions and other private companies to take advantage of the ISS today, advancing the exploration and use of space for a variety of scientific, educational and commercial purposes on a global scale,” explains Axiom CEO. .

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Prada and Axiom Space are working on the Axiom Extravehicle Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit.Axiom of Space