In a thrilling partnership, astronauts on board NASA‘s maiden human mission to the lunar South Pole are set to wear suits from Prada. Axiom Space, a private space company has announced a partnership with the renowned Italian luxury brand for outfits in NASA’s Artemis 3 Mission slated for September 2026.
Most of the new spacesuits will be white, designed to reflect heat like the apparatus the Apollo astronauts used during that famous moonwalk over half a century ago.They will come with subtle grey and red stripes on them, however – an aesthetic identical to that of the Italy Luna Rossa America’s Cup boat, for which Prada also sponsors.
Axiom Space president Matt Ondler spoke at the Milan press launch, pointing to cutting-edge engineering that goes into making these suits. “They are going into incredibly hazardous, extreme environments,” he said, adding that the innovative design was necessary for the mission’s objectives, such as identifying water craters at the moon‘s South Pole-one of the coldest areas in the universe.
The extreme lunar South Pole’s requirements present stern conditions; temperatures can range from 54 degrees Celsius when in the sun to minus 203 degrees Celsius in shaded regions that have never seen the sun. Suits are crafted for optimal comfort and ensure adequate protection from harmful radiation and outer pressure while astronauts can walk outside for as long as eight hours without a spacesuit.
The mission aims to be the first to land a woman on the moon, so all their space suits are unisex, flexible, and adapted for different sizes. According to Russell Ralston, the spacesuit program manager at Axiom, their garment designs integrate engineering and science with art in order to safeguard and comfort future moonwalkers.
One of the major challenges was the design of the boots, to be insulated and capable to withstand the varied moon terrain. Materials used details remain “confidential,” but Lorenzo Bertelli, marketing manager for Prada and son of the founder Miuccia Prada, says he is enthusiastic about the innovative nature of the project.
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It brings forth a sort of overlap between space exploration and luxury fashion, and has a precedent that will be integrated in the future for astronaut wear.
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