The astronauts on NASA’s mission to the south pole of the moon are supposed to wear Prada. The Italian fashion house designed the space suit for “Artemis 3”.
It’s not just the devil who wears Prada – but also the astronauts of the first manned NASA mission to the south pole of the moon. The Italian fashion house, together with the US space company Axiom Space, designed the space suit for the participants in the “Artemis 3” mission planned for September 2026, which was presented in Milan.
The outermost layer of the suit is white – just like the suits worn by the astronauts on the first manned moon landing, Apollo 11, around 50 years ago. The suit has the typical Prada red stripes on the sleeves and other places.
Developing the suits required “extreme engineering” and “fantastic manufacturing skills,” Axiom Space manager Matt Ondler told reporters. The suits would be used “in places that are incredibly dangerous, in extreme environments,” he emphasized.
One of the missions of the US space agency NASA is to look for water craters at the lunar pole. The region is one of the coldest places in the universe, “so the suit has to be very cleverly designed.”
According to NASA, temperatures at the south pole of the moon can reach minus 203 degrees Celsius. The suit for the moonwalk not only has to insulate against extreme temperatures, but also protect the astronauts from radiation and, on top of that, be comfortable. It also has to supply enough oxygen for moonwalks lasting up to eight hours.
As part of the planned mission, a woman will travel to the moon for the first time – which means that the suits have to be unisex and adapt to different sizes. “We have combined engineering, science and art to create the ultimate garments for future lunar walkers, ensuring astronauts can carry out their tasks and missions safely and comfortably,” said Axiom spacesuit program manager Russell Ralston.
Axiom Space had a contract with the US space agency NASA to develop the spacesuits for use on the moon and other space programs. The company received $228.5 million for this.
Axiom Space boss Michael Suffredini founded the company in Texas in 2016. From 2005 to 2015, Suffredini was responsible for the International Space Station (ISS) at the US space agency. So he is familiar with NASA’s requirements for the spacesuits for its astronauts.
With its “Artemis 3” mission, NASA wants to bring US astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than half a century. The mission was initially planned for the end of 2025, but was postponed by a year for security reasons.