According to a statement released by Prada and Axiom Space, the two companies will work together to create NASA’s new spacesuits for the Artemis III mission in 2025 so astronauts can fly in style.
The Artemis III mission will send a woman to the moon for the first time, making it the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
“We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit,” Axiom Space’s CEO Michael Suffredini said in its 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.”
The new AxEMU suits are equipped with specialised tools and design features that will increase astronauts’ capacity for space exploration and scientific investigation while shielding them from the hostile environment so they may live and operate on the moon.
According to prior Insider reporting, NASA stated that its spacesuits are incredibly expensive and can cost anything from $15 million to $22 million in 1974.
After admitting it had spent $420 million since 2017 attempting to manufacture its own suits, NASA hired Axiom Space in June 2022 to build its most recent spacesuits.
The AxEMU’s prototype was shown off in dark grey and orange in March, but the finished product will be white.