Luxury fashion house Prada and commercial space company Axiom Space have revealed designs for a spacesuit that will be used for NASA’s Artemis III lunar mission.
Unveiled during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on Wednesday, the mostly white suits feature a cropped torso and stone-gray patches on the elbows and knees. Though notably free of branding or logos, the designs do include red accent lines on the forearms, waist and “wearable living system backpacks,” which nod to Prada’s sub-brand Linea Rossa.
“This is a groundbreaking partnership,” said Russel Ralston, executive vice president of Axiom Space, during the press conference. “We’re combining engineering, science and art.”
The sleek-looking suits include a variety of innovative features. Astronauts will be able to spacewalk for at least eight hours a day thanks to specially designed boots. The suits will be made of a white material capable of reflecting heat, offering protection from extremely high temperatures and lunar dust, according to a joint press release.
Mobility has also improved since the Apollo 17 designs. But it was Prada’s deep knowledge of textile production and sewing techniques that helped “bridge the gap” between functionality and style, according to the release.
The gender-neutral, one-size-fits-all suits have also been in development for several years. According to Lorenzo Bertelli, marketing director of Prada Group, the fashion house has been discussing the collaboration since before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Around 10 Prada employees worked on the spacesuit, splitting up between Milan and Axiom’s base in Houston.
Scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026, NASA’s Artemis III mission is planned to be the first astronaut landing on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. If successful, it could also be the first time a woman has walked on the moon.
“Today, anyone with deep pockets can go to space,” Bertelli told reporters in Milan. “Soon it will become affordable and people will be able to go to the moon. So I think we are just at the beginning of a new era.”
