NASA's moon suit gets runway treatment as part of Prada partnership

In one of the strangest partnerships we've ever seen, Axiom Space and Prada (yes, The Prada) have teamed up to produce spacesuits that NASA astronauts will wear when they return to the moon as part of the space agency's Artemis program.

NASA hasn't had a new spacesuit since 1982, when the current EVA suits were made, and there haven't been any new lunar suits since the Apollo program, which ended in 1972. To fill this gap, the agency awarded Axiom $228 million in 2022 to develop an improved modern version of the Apollo suit. In turn, Axiom collaborated with fashion house Prada to work on the design of the outer shell of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) suit, as well as details such as materials used, production methods and even the stitching.

At first glance, there is something surreal about hiring a fashion designer for what is essentially a technical project. In engineering, the rule is that form follows function, and many incredibly beautiful machines and infrastructure projects have been created, the beauty of which depends on the way they were designed to do their job.

The Concorde, for example, is one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built, but no one paid attention to aesthetics when making it. The same goes for the bridges built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the Victorian era, which are spread across Britain. They wouldn't look out of place in an art gallery, except that they never fit in, and yet they were all designed for the mundane task of ferrying trains across rivers and the like.

Then again, this isn't the first spacesuit where aesthetics were on the list of requirements. The SpaceX Dragon astronauts' suits were originally designed with the help of Jose Fernandezm, a Hollywood costume designer who thought the suits were intended for a movie wardrobe.

If a third hand was available, it should also be noted that the Apollo suits were manufactured by the International Latex Corporation, which brought the company's experience in the manufacture of brassieres and girdles to the problem of manufacturing spacesuits from latex and specialty textiles . Seen this way, there is a method to the Prada madness.

Axiom space

The formal unveiling of the AxEMU suit last week at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan is not the first glimpse of the design the public has received. However, Axiom points out that on previous occasions the suit's outer shell was covered with a special dark covering to protect company secrets from prying eyes.

Now the suit has the white paint job with dark knee and elbow patches. The white is intended to reflect sunlight to protect the astronaut from heat, while the patches provide protection from abrasion – an important point since, unlike the Apollo suits, these are intended for indefinite reuse.

According to Axiom, the new suit is designed for both exploration of the lunar south polar region and EVAs in space. Unlike the custom-made Apollo suits and the suit currently used on the International Space Station, which consists of only a few sizes of interchangeable modules, the new suit will fit 99% of men and women. This suggests that the AxEMU suit is highly adjustable and will likely be available in men's and women's models.

Axiom space

The suit features carbon dioxide purification and cooling technology, likely an evolution of the sublimation system used for Apollo. The heating system can keep an astronaut comfortable in the freezing lunar shadows for up to two hours, and life support can be used for moonwalks and spacewalks for up to eight hours. The suit itself features advanced materials, redundant systems and self-diagnostic functions for greater safety, as well as helmets equipped with cameras that provide a wide viewing angle.

Axiom claims that even the gloves have been improved – which will please many astronauts, as the current gloves are very cold to wear and are prone to ripping fingernails.

The suit is currently being tested without people as it nears the final stages of development and its critical design review next year.

“We are ushering in a new era of space exploration where partnerships are essential to the commercialization of space,” said Russell Ralston, executive vice president of Extravehicular Activities at Axiom Space. “Partnerships create a strong, cohesive team that enables industry experts to deliver cutting-edge technology, specialized products and services to drive innovation. For the first time, we are leveraging expertise from other industries to develop a better solution for space.”

Source: Axiom Space