Italian luxury brand Prada and Houston-based startup Axiom Space unveiled a new spacesuit on Wednesday for NASA’s upcoming Artemis 3 moon mission, which is scheduled for 2026.
The suit, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), follows traditional astronaut design but features modern touches like red trim and grey knee and elbow patches. It was revealed at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy.
Designed for the harsh lunar environment, particularly the moon’s south pole, the AxEMU can withstand extreme temperatures. It can also handle the coldest conditions in shadowed regions for at least two hours.
Astronauts can perform spacewalks in suits for up to eight hours. Matt Ondler, President of Axiom Space, along with Prada’s Chief Marketing Officer, Lorenzo Bertelli and Russell Ralston, Executive Vice President of EVA Program Management at Axiom Space, attended the presentation.
The suit has passed extensive testing, including underwater trials to mimic the lunar environment. It is close to its final development stage. “I’m very proud of today’s result, signalling the start of a long-term partnership with Axiom Space,” Bertelli stated.
Ondler highlighted the innovative design achieved by merging diverse teams from both companies. He emphasized the value of combining varied backgrounds and skills.
This luxury fashion and space exploration initiative underscores a trend where high-end brands explore new sectors. For instance, French fashion house Pierre Cardin recently introduced an astronaut training suit for the European Space Agency, and the Hilton hotel group has collaborated with Voyager Space to design crew suites for the upcoming Starlab commercial space station.
