Prada and Axiom Space aim for the moon with new astronaut suit (updated)

Axtec

16/10/2024 14:11

(Adds comments from press conference)
    By Elisa Anzolin
       MILAN, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Italian luxury group Prada
 1913.F  and Houston-based startup Axiom Space unveiled on
Wednesday the design of a spacesuit that will be used for NASA's
Artemis 3 mission to the moon that is planned for 2026.
    In its outward appearance, the spacesuit does not stray too
far from what astronauts have worn in the past. It is the
familiar bulky white suit, with added red trim and grey patches
on the knees and elbows.
        The new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), as
the suit is known, was showcased at the International
Astronautical Congress in Milan. It aims to combine highly
engineered functionality and aesthetics to deal with challenging
lunar conditions.
    Artemis 3 is planned as the first astronaut moon landing
since Apollo 17 in 1972.
        The spacesuits were made to withstand extreme
temperatures at the lunar south pole and endure the coldest
temperatures in the permanently shadowed regions for at least
two hours, the two companies said in a joint statement. 
    Astronauts will be able to perform spacewalks for at least
eight hours. 
    The AxEMU has already undergone extensive testing, included
underwater to simulate the lunar environment. It is nearing the
final development stage, the two companies said. 
    "I'm very proud of the result we're showing today, which is
just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom
Space," Prada's Chief Marketing Officer Lorenzo Bertelli said in
a statement. 
    Matt Ondler, Axiom Space President, said the design had been
boosted by combining the skills of workers from the two groups.
        "Innovation really comes when we put diverse teams
together, diverse backgrounds, different educations, different
skills," said Ondler.
  
        As the space exploration and tourism industries develop,
luxury brands are exploring possible partnerships. 
    Last month French fashion house Pierre Cardin unveiled an
astronaut training suit, set to be used at the European Space
Agency's centre in Cologne. 
    Hotel group Hilton is working with Voyager Space to support
the design and development of crew suites aboard planned
commercial space station Starlab. 

 (Reporting by Elisa Anzolin
Editing by Keith Weir)
 ((elisa.anzolin@thomsonreuters.com; 0039 0266129692;))