The astronauts of NASA’s Artemis 3 mission to the Moon scheduled for September 2026 will wear spacesuits by Prada, the model of which was presented on Wednesday in Milan.
Artemis 3 must send astronauts back to the lunar surface for the first time since the end of the Apollo program, and the design of the suits has been entrusted to the American company Axiom Space, which has enlisted the collaboration of the famous Milanese luxury group.
Essentially white as for the Apollo program, this suit, the result of a unique collaboration, also includes touches of gray and red bands recalling the design of the Italian sailboat Luna Rossa (Red Moon), which took part in the World Cup. America and is sponsored by Prada.
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Without having a revolutionary appearance, it promises maximum comfort for astronauts: custom-made gloves, boots designed to withstand extreme temperatures and uneven terrain, internal pressure control, protection against radiation, eight-hour battery life, etc.
“In two years, when NASA launches the Artemis 3 mission, the astronauts (…) will go to incredibly dangerous places, extreme environments,” underlined the president of Axiom Space Matt Ondler during a press conference in Milan.
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“One of the missions that NASA wants to undertake is to try to discover the water craters at the South Pole, one of the coldest places in the universe,” he recalled.
Among the main design challenges, the thermal insulation of the boots in the face of extreme temperatures also presented the technicians with a “difficult challenge”, recognized Russell Ralston, who leads the “suit” program at Axiom Space.
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The model developed by Prada and Axiom is unisex and adaptable to the different measurements required, because Artemis 3 will transport the first woman to the Moon.
Information on the materials used is classified “confidential”, indicated Lorenzo Bertelli, marketing manager of Prada, but also and above all the son of the founder of the Milanese house, Miuccia Prada. He was delighted with the “acquisition of know-how” enabled by this experience.
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“We have combined engineering, science and art to produce the latest generation of clothing for future travelers to the Moon, ensuring that astronauts can carry out their tasks and missions safely and comfortably,” summed up Russell. Ralston.
To date, five countries — the United States, the Soviet Union, China, India and Japan — have successfully landed a craft on the Moon. Among them, only the United States has already sent humans there.
