Prada joins NASA in designing spacesuits

Luxury fashion house Prada has announced a partnership with Axiom Space to design spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III mission, with Prada engineers working alongside Axiom throughout the design process of the lunar suit.

Speaking about this collaboration, the Italian fashion house's marketing director Lorenzo Bertelli said: "Prada's constant focus on the future of humanity has extended to the desire for adventure and the courage to explore new horizons: the universe."

“We are honored to be part of this historic mission with Axiom Space,” Prada’s chief marketing officer continued, “Our decades of experimentation and design know-how that began in the 90s will now be applied to the design of the Artemis spacesuit. This is truly a celebration of the power of human creativity and innovation to advance civilization.”

Meanwhile, Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space, expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Prada on spacesuits, highlighting Prada’s technical expertise and innovative designs. The collaboration aims to address previously overlooked human factors in spacesuits and improve astronaut comfort on the lunar surface.

Axiom Space’s “Axiom Extra-Vehicle Mobility Unit” (AxEMU) spacesuits will be inspired by the design of NASA’s “Extra-Vehicle Exploration Mobility Unit” (xEMU) suit, then combined with Prada’s own distinct style and innovative elements.

While Prada is known for creating unique and stylish designs, the main focus of this project was to ensure the spacesuits functioned properly and protected astronauts from the harsh conditions of the lunar surface.

The Prada-designed spacesuits will make their debut on the Artemis III mission, scheduled to launch in late 2024 or early 2025.

While NASA has yet to finalize a launch date for Artemis III, the presence of both Axiom Space and Prada ensures that astronauts will be well prepared for these historic missions.

The AxEMU spacesuit will feature Prada’s signature style and innovation. Prada engineers worked with the Axiom Space team to develop materials and features that ensure astronaut comfort and safety during activities on the lunar surface.

The first mission, Artemis II, is scheduled for late 2024, followed by the Artemis III mission in 2025, marking NASA's return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The new spacesuits, designed by Axiom Space, are essential for the rigors of extended missions to the lunar south pole and are the first new spacesuit designs since the Space Shuttle era.

In March, NASA and Axiom Space revealed the spacesuit design, which initially was black with orange accents. However, the final suit for the Artemis mission will have a white outer layer to reflect heat and protect against extreme temperatures.

Minh Hoa (reported by Lao Dong, VTV)

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