NASA Redesigning Space Suits With Help From Greatest Designer In The World
NASA’s new space suits are getting a major makeover from Prada. The news comes as commercial spaceflight venture Axiom Space secured a contract to design the suits for the 2025 Artemis III Moon mission. The Texas-based startup partnered with the fashion house to collaborate on materials and designs.
The history of NASA’s space suits reflects the evolution of human space exploration.
“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits,” CEO of Axiom Space, Michael Suffredini, said about the NASA space suits via The Byte.
Prada shared the enthusiasm of its NASA space suit partner, with Prada Group Marketing Director Lorenzo Bertelli saying that “the constantly forward-thinking ethos of [house founder Mario Prada] for humanity has broadened to his desire for adventure and to brave new horizons.” Bertelli added that the company is “honored to be a part of this historic mission with Axiom Space.”
Although there might be skepticism regarding the fashion brand’s experience in dealing with NASA space suits, which are complex and costly to design due to the harsh conditions of space, it represents an innovative approach. Especially since Prada has a storied history of creating epic designs and a reputation for doing exciting work.
Axiom Space and Prada have teamed up to design the next generation of NASA space suits.
The history of NASA’s space suits reflects the evolution of human space exploration. NASA’s early space suits (1950s-1960s) were developed during the Mercury and Gemini programs. They were primarily pressure suits designed to provide astronauts with a life-sustaining environment in the vacuum of space. Made from layers of fabric and rubber, they offered limited mobility but served their purpose.
The Apollo program (1960s-1970s) significantly advanced NASA’s space suit technology. Known as the A7L suits, the gear offered a variety of sizes, making them more self-contained and reliable. These suits were used during the historic Moon landings, providing astronauts with life support, temperature regulation, and protection against micrometeoroid impacts.
The Space Shuttle era introduced the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), the NASA space suits used from the 1980s to 2011. It is a modular suit with several components, including the Primary Life Support System, the Hard Upper Torso, and the Lower Torso Assembly. These suits feature improved mobility, which allows astronauts to perform spacewalks and repair missions more efficiently.
In collaboration with international partners, NASA continued to refine and develop their space suit technology for use aboard the International Space Station in the early 2000s. The Advanced Crew Escape Suit protects astronauts during launch and re-entry. Meanwhile, the Extravehicular Mobility Unit is used for spacewalks and maintenance activities on the ISS.
“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits.”
-Michael Suffredini, Axiom Space CEO
As NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars, the space agency is developing space suits called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU). Described as the next-generation suit for lunar exploration, the xEMU will address the unique challenges of lunar missions, including lunar dust management and radiation protection.
The partnership between Axiom Space and Prada marks a significant departure from the conventional approach to NASA’s space suit design. Prada’s reputation for pushing boundaries in fashion suggests that their involvement will improve the aesthetics of spacesuits and introduce innovative materials and design concepts that enhance the comfort and functionality of these essential garments.
The extreme conditions of space require NASA’s space suits to withstand extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeoroid impacts while ensuring the mobility and well-being of astronauts. Prada’s expertise in materials and manufacturing techniques could contribute significantly to achieving these goals.
