Prada to design NASA space suits for astronauts
Italian luxury fashion designer Prada will develop next-generation space suits for NASA’s Artemis III mission which will attempt to put boots on the moon in 2025.
The lunar mission is expected to be the first to put a woman on the moon and the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Prada engineers will be working with commercial company Axiom Space systems throughout the design process of the suit. They will develop materials and design features to protect astronauts against the unique challenge of space and the lunar environment, Axiom Space noted.
“We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit,” Axiom chief Michael Suffredini said in a statement.
“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits,” Mr Suffredini said.
In the first partnership between an Italian luxury fashion house and a commercial space company, Prada’s engineers are working alongside @Axiom_Space to help design spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III lunar mission planned for 2025. https://t.co/iYHo6Rd1ts. #Prada #AxEMU pic.twitter.com/TmkGIo5RoH
— PRADA (@Prada) October 4, 2023
The next generation space suits are expected to provide astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration. They will also be required to provide NASA astronauts systems needed to access, live and work on and around the Moon.
NASA unveiled the prototype design for the Artemis III spacesuits earlier this year. As part of the mission, NASA astronaut crew would be taken to the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft and spend weeks on the lunar surface.
The mission’s advanced space suits are expected to give astronauts an increased range of motion and flexibility to explore more of the Moon’s landscapes than on previous missions.
Axiom Space said the spacesuits are created to provide increased flexibility, greater protection to withstand the harsh environment and specialised tools for exploration and scientific opportunities to enable “greater exploration of the lunar surface than ever before”.
“The constantly forward-thinking ethos of Prada for humanity has broadened to his desire of adventure and to brave new horizons: space,” said Prada’s marketing director Lorenzo Bertelli.
“We are honored to be a part of this historic mission with Axiom Space. Our decades of experimentation, cutting-edge technology and design know-how will now be applied to the design of a spacesuit for the Artemis era. It is a true celebration of the power of human creativity and innovation to advance civilization,” Mr Bertelli said.