NASA Astronauts Will Wear Prada for Artemis Moonwalk

Axiom Space unveils the spacesuit, designed in partnership with the luxury brand, that Artemis III astronauts will wear on the moon’s surface.

Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 04:59 PM ET

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NASA astronauts will wear this specially designed suit—developed by Axiom Space in partnership with Prada—when they walk on the moon as soon as 2026. [Courtesy: Axiom Space]

Key Takeaways:

NASA private contractor Axiom Space unveiled the flight design of its AxEMU spacesuit, which astronauts will wear to explore the lunar south pole during the Artemis III moon mission in September 2026.
The AxEMU suit represents a significant upgrade from NASA's four-decade-old models, designed to withstand extreme lunar temperatures, provide up to eight hours of life support, and accommodate diverse body types.
Developed under a nearly $230 million task order, the suit features enhanced flexibility, improved vision, redundant safety systems, advanced 4G/LTE communications, and an outer layer co-designed with Prada for heat reflection and dust protection.

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NASA private contractor Axiom Space on Wednesday unveiled the flight design of its extravehicular mobility unit (AxEMU) spacesuit: the one astronauts will wear as they explore the lunar south pole during the Artemis III moon mission, tentatively scheduled for September 2026.

Axiom received a nearly $230 million task order to develop the AxEMU suit, which Artemis astronauts will test out on the lunar surface. The task order is part of a contract with NASA worth up to $3.5 billion that also includes Collins Aerospace, which earlier this year abandoned efforts to develop extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits under its own $100 million task order.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.