Italian luxury fashion house Prada and space startup company Axiom Space unveiled the designs for a spacesuit that will be worn by NASA astronauts in a moon landing set for 2026. NASA says the mission "will mark humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years."
The Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) suit was unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on Wednesday and features Prada's distinctive "Linea Rossa" red lines on the forearms as well as grey patches on the knees and elbows.
"I’m very proud of the result we’re showing today, which is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space," Prada's Chief Marketing Officer Lorenzo Bertelli said in a statement.
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According to Axiom Space, the suit is made to withstand extremely high temperatures at the lunar south pole and the coldest temperatures in the permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours.
"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," Axiom Space President Matt Ondler said in a statement.
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The suit is expected to be worn for NASA's Artemis III mission, which is expected to launch in 2026 and achieve the first moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The mission also aims to put the first woman, and first person of color, on the lunar surface.
