This story originally appeared on WIRING Italy and has been translated from Italian.
“We are witnessing the beginning of a new era, like the Internet was in the 1980s. Today, access to space is still something exclusive to a few, but, as in computing, in a few years prices will drop “Everyone should indulge in the beauty of an adventure.” So said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada’s marketing director, today at the International Astronautical Congress 2024 in Milan, Italy. Yes, that’s right, Prada at the International Astronautical Congress.
Bertelli spoke enthusiastically about the fashion house’s collaborative design reveal with Houston-based startup Axiom Space of the. space suit that will be used for NASA’s Artemis 3 mission to the moon planned for 2026: the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU).
“(This) is not a commercial or marketing issue,” Bertelli continued. “We will eventually think about it later, but pushing our limits is one of the values that best reflects the spirit of Prada. It is the first step in the collaboration with Axiom Space.”
Well, speaking of pushing boundaries, and while Bertelli hopes to mull future marketing opportunities for Prada, the AxEMU is actually an evolution of NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (or xEMU), the suit used for off-road activities. of the International Space Station.
Designed for greater flexibility, efficiency and safety, AxEMU incorporates specialized tools for exploration of the lunar south pole, where the temperature range can be extreme and the talcum-thin regolith clings to every surface, slipping through every crevice.
The suit is capable of tolerating the extreme temperatures of the lunar south pole and the harsh climate of permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours, and can withstand at least eight hours of extravehicular activities.