This story originally appeared on WIRED Italy and was translated from Italian.
“We are witnessing the beginning of a new era, just like the Internet in the 1980s. Today, access to space is still something for a few, but, as in the case of IT, prices will drop in a few years. Everyone should allow themselves the beauty of adventure.” This is what Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada’s chief marketing officer, said today at the 2024 International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy. Yes, that’s right, Prada at the International Astronautical Congress.
Bertelli excitedly announced the unveiling of the Axiom Extravehcular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), a collaborative project of the fashion house spacesuit a project in cooperation with the Houston-based startup Axiom Space, which will be used during NASA’s Artemis 3 mission to the Moon scheduled for 2026.
“[This] it is not a commercial or marketing issue,” Bertelli continued. “We will eventually think about it later, but overcoming your own limitations is one of the values that best reflects the spirit of Prada. This is the first step in our collaboration with Axiom Space.”
Speaking of overcoming limitations – and while Bertelli waits to consider Prada’s future marketing opportunities – AxEMU is actually an evolution of NASA’s Exploration Extravehcular Mobility Unit (or xEMU), a spacesuit used for operations outside the International Space Station.
Designed for greater flexibility, efficiency and safety, AxEMU includes specialized tools for exploration of the Moon’s south pole, where the temperature range can be extreme and regolith, as thin as talc, clings to every surface, creeping into every crevice.
The suit can withstand the extreme temperatures of the Moon’s south pole and the harsh climate of permanently shaded areas for at least two hours, and can withstand at least eight hours of activity outside the vehicle.