Prada Has Designed NASA’s Next Spacesuit

2 months ago

Space travel gets a luxury upgrade

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We finally have liftoff on the first luxury spacesuit. Co-designed by Prada, the spacesuit has been created for the first Moon landing in over 50 years – and will be worn by the first woman and the first person of colour ever to walk on the lunar surface.

Prada Aims For The Moon With New Spacesuit

Those who tuned into the International Astronautical Congress earlier today will have gotten an exciting glimpse of a world-first: a spacesuit co-designed by luxury fashion house Prada. The suit, dubbed the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), is set to take its debut as early as September 2026 for Artemis lll. This will be the first mission whose prime objective is a human lunar landing since 1972.

NASA had originally selected Axiom Space to oversee the development and delivery of the spacesuit, who in turn approached Prada to help create a refined design that looked as good as it performed.

‘Our elite teams have redefined spacesuit development, establishing new pathways to innovative solutions and applying a state-of-the-art design approach for the AxEMU,’ said Matt Ondler, Axiom Space President. ‘We have broken the mould. The Axiom Space-Prada partnership has set a new foundational model for cross-industry collaboration, further expanding what’s possible in commercial space.’

So, what does the suit look like? Sticking to the classic white spacesuit, the Prada design is a streamlined rendition of traditional astronaut attire. You won’t find any brand logos – instead, the suit is kitted out in bold red lines that break up the all-white finish. Fans of the luxury fashion house have already pointed out the similarities to the design motif of Prada’s Linea Rossa technical line, which was first developed to outfit its America’s Cup sailing team, Luna Rossa (which, funnily enough, translates as ‘Red Moon’ in Italian).

A joint release from Prada and Axiom also noted that the luxury house was chosen to help ‘visually inspire future space exploration… Prada’s expertise enabled advanced technologies and innovative sewing methods to bridge the gap between highly engineered functionality and an aesthetically appealing white outer layer.’

But it’s not all style over substance. Practicality and durability lie at the heart of the suit’s design, with the collaboration focusing on its outer-layer design and material fabrication. Made from a white material that protects astronauts from extreme temperatures and lunar dust, the suit is said to ‘withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and endure the coldest temperatures in the permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours. Astronauts will be able to perform spacewalks for at least eight hours.’

And it likely this won’t be the last we see of luxury-adorned space travel. ‘[This] is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space,’ commented Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. ‘Going beyond our limits is one of the company’s values that perfectly reflects the spirit of the Prada brand and my parents’ vision… We’ve shared our expertise on high-performance materials, features, and sewing techniques, and we learned a lot. I’m sure we’ll continue to explore new challenges, broaden our horizons, and build new scenarios together.’

‘We are pioneering a new era in space exploration where partnerships are imperative to the commercialization of space,’ added Russell Ralston, Executive Vice President of Extravehicular Activity, Axiom Space. ‘Partnerships build a strong, cohesive team, enabling industry experts to provide cutting-edge technology, specialized products and services to drive innovation. For the first time, we are leveraging expertise in other industries to craft a better solution for space.’

Who Will Wear It?

While the crew have yet to be announced, NASA confirmed that Artemis III will ‘land the first woman and first person of colour on the surface of the Moon.’ Currently planned for 2026, the mission will be the first to send humans to explore the region near the lunar South Pole. (And in head-to-toe Prada, no less.)

And, speaking of history, it will also mark the first time humanity has actually been to the Moon in half a century. Lunar explorations began more than 55 years ago, with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong becoming the first men to walk its surface back in 1969. Ten more astronauts have since landed on the Moon – taking the total up to 12 – with Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan being the last in 1972.

You can read more about Artemis III at nasa.gov