Italian luxury fashion house Prada has unveiled its latest design innovation, which will be worn beneath NASA's next-generation lunar spacesuit on future Moon missions. The high-performance inner layer, developed in collaboration with Houston-based startup Axiom Space, marks a unique partnership between aerospace engineering and high-end fashion.
Artemis III Mission Overview
NASA's Artemis III mission, currently targeted for 2026, aims to land on the Moon's South Pole. This will be the first human return to the lunar surface in over 50 years. The new Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) is a specialized inner suit designed for the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), the next-generation spacesuit that will be used for NASA's Artemis III and IV missions.
Function and Design of the LCVG
The LCVG serves as the critical layer worn directly against the astronaut's body. Its primary function is thermal regulation, which is vital as astronauts perform physically demanding spacewalks of up to eight hours. As crew members conduct spacewalks, their bodies generate significant metabolic heat. The garment features an intricate network of tubes that circulate cold water across major muscle groups to absorb and carry away metabolic heat, according to a statement by Axiom Space.
The key innovation in the Prada-designed inner suit is the inclusion of a fully redundant cooling circuit, a first for such garments. This backup system ensures that if the primary cooling loop fails, a secondary system will activate to protect the astronaut from overheating in the harsh lunar environment. Beyond cooling, the suit also manages ventilation. A separate loop of tubes delivers fresh oxygen across the astronaut's face to wash away exhaled carbon dioxide, which is then routed back through a life-support system for scrubbing and recirculation.
Industry Leaders' Statements
Jonathan Cirtain, CEO and President of Axiom Space, said: 'The future of space exploration will not be built by any one entity alone, and our partnership with Prada is proof of that. By bringing together the best in both aerospace engineering as well as luxury craftsmanship and advanced product development, we have developed a garment that neither company could have created independently, and that is exactly the kind of cross-industry thinking that will define the next era of human spaceflight.'
Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sustainability, expressed pride in the achievement. Prada stated: 'The LCVG collaboration draws on Prada's expertise in design, patternmaking, and advanced materials, resulting in a next-generation garment developed through advanced 3D modelling techniques that maintain cooling and ventilation while enhancing comfort during up to eight-hour spacewalks.'
Russell Ralston, Axiom Space Senior Vice President of Spacecraft Development, added: 'Every minute astronauts spend outside their vehicle, the LCVG is working to keep them safe. It manages their thermal environment, supports their breathing, and does it all while they're pushing their bodies to the limit. The work we have done with Prada has taken that capability to a level we could not have achieved alone.'
The unveiling of the inner layer follows the 2024 debut of the AxEMU's outer layer at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
