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Prada to design spacesuits for NASA's Artemis III lunar mission

By Austin Williams
Published  October 17, 2023 2:37pm EDT
Air and Space
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NASA unveils Artemis 2 moon mission crew

NASA named the four astronauts who will fly to the moon by the end of next year, including one woman and three men. The three Americans and one Canadian were introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation’s astronauts as well as Mission Control.

It's a collaboration that's out of this world. 

Italian luxury fashion house Prada is teaming up with Texas startup Axiom Space to design the next line of spacesuits for NASA astronauts going to the moon, the companies announced earlier this month. 

The Artemis III mission, slated for December 2025, will also include mission-critical contributions from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Lockheed Martin and Airbus to design, build and manage the launch system, propulsion technologies and crew transport vehicle Orion. 

"We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit," said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space in a press release. "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."

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Logos of Axiom Space and Prada reflected on a space helmet above the lunar surface. (Image: Axiom Space)

According to the companies, Prada's engineers will work alongside Axiom Space Systems team throughout the design process in order to develop design features that will protect astronauts throughout the many challenges that space and a lunar landing could pose. 

The new spacesuit design includes increased flexibility, greater protection to withstand the harsh environment and specialized tools for exploration and other scientific opportunities, the companies said. 

Axiom says they are the leading provider of human spaceflight services developing human-rated space infrastructure. 

Prada was founded in Milan, Italy, in 1913 and is universally revered for its iconic designs that have shaped fashion and culture. 

Fox Business contributed to this story. It was reported from Los Angeles.