Space
Prada and Axiom Space reveal costumes that astronauts will wear on the Moon
On Wednesday (16), the Italian Prada and Axiom Space, a North American space flight services company, revealed at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan (Italy) the space suits that astronauts will wear when they are on the Moon during the mission Artemis III. The launch of the project is scheduled for September 2026.
The partnership for the development of the suits was announced last year, and Axiom Space had already revealed the prototype of the “Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit” (AxEMU) suit. Now, the duo showed the result of the outer layer of the spacesuit that the crew will use during Artemis III. This will be the first mission of NASA's Artemis program, which will take new humans to the lunar surface.
Like those worn during the Apollo program, the outer portion of the suits is white and is designed to reflect heat. The version developed for the Artemis program will have some details in gray and red stripes, which are similar to those used by the Luna Rossa team, which represented the Circolo della Vela Sicilia yacht club with sponsorship from Prada.
The upper part of the suits, where the helmet and the life support system “backpack” will be located, has special places for the installation of national flags and emblems of the mission in question — during the announcement, the suits had the emblem of the AxEMU.
Another objective of the devices is to ensure the greatest possible comfort for astronauts without neglecting protection against radiation and the supply of energy and oxygen necessary for activities on the lunar soil. As the Artemis program will land the first woman on the Moon, the suits can be worn on both female and male bodies and can be adapted as needed.