Prada And Axiom Space Prepare For Mission To The Moon With New Design Of Space Clothes

JAKARTA Prada, a luxury Italian brand, along with Houston-based startup Axiom Space, revealed the design of the spacesuit to be used on NASA's Artemis 3 mission in 2026. The mission is planned to be the first astronaut landing on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

This new design, known as the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), is featured on the International Astronautical Congress in Milan. This spacesuit has an outer display that remains similar to the design of the previous astronaut's shirt, which is thick white, but with additional red accents and gray patches on his knees and elbows.

This spacesuit is specially designed to deal with extreme conditions at the Moon's south pole, including very cold temperatures in areas that are constantly in the shadows. Prada and Axiom Space said the shirt could protect astronauts for two hours in cold conditions and allow them to spacewalk for at least eight hours.

AxEMU has undergone a series of tests, including underwater to mimic the environment on the moon. The shirt is nearing its final development stage, according to a joint statement from the two companies.

Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada's Chief Marketing Officer, expressed his pride in the collaboration, which is considered the first step in long-term cooperation with Axiom Space. Matt Ondler, President of Axiom Space, also said that this design was the result of team collaboration from various backgrounds, creating innovations in this project.

In the growing space exploration and tourism industry, more and more luxury brands are exploring similar partnerships. Last month, French fashion house Pierre Cardin revealed astronaut training clothing, and Hilton's hotel teamed up with Voyager Space to support the design and development of a crew suite on the planned commercial space station, Starlab.