Prada x Axiom introduces new spacesuit layer for NASA's Artemis missions

The spacesuit astronauts will wear on the moon has a Prada-designed undergarment, and it comes with stirrup pants, thumbholes, and a red stripe.

But beneath the fashion-forward aesthetic is a piece of life-support engineering built to keep humans alive through temperature swings of more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

What does Prada x Axiom new spacesuit feature?

The Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) is the layer astronauts wear inside the Axe suit that Axiom Space is developing with Prada for NASA's Artemis lunar missions. It was announced at a press event at Prada on Sunday.

The main function of the garment involves regulating the temperature. In-built channels are lined with tiny tubes that allow cooling fluid to circulate inside the suit to maintain a steady body temperature for the astronauts.

Large-sized tubes control the flow of air, providing the astronauts with oxygen to breathe in and helping to expel carbon dioxide when they breathe out.

Russell Ralston, Senior Vice President of Axiom Space explained to Space.com that this new system is an improvement from previous spacesuits, which involved laborious manual insertion of cooling tubes into the mesh.

Artemis 4, the first manned mission in the Artemis series, aims at landing astronauts on the moon's South Pole, which is much colder than the equatorial regions visited by astronauts in Apollo missions.

According to Axiom Space's CEO Jonathan Cirtain, the temperature difference between the sunny side and the other side that is covered in shadow at the South Pole can reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires a different thermal control from what previous suits were prepared for.

The reflective material in the suit serves the purpose of reflecting the sun's heat and keeping the body cool.

The suit, along with the rest of the outfit, was already put through tests for temperature, gravity, and environmental resistance, but may face further tests on the International Space Station and even on the Artemis 3 mission, which won't be landing.

The ballistic material of the suit's outside layer was supplied by Prada, the company known for clothing and luxury items. Curtain praised the materials provided by Prada, stating that they were an engineering contribution, rather than a marketing gimmick.