Amid the plethora of people at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the world, there was undoubtedly one outfit that turned the most heads: that of Axiom’s Artemis spacesuit.
The Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit is literally not designed for our planet; its destiny is much grander. It will be worn by astronauts when they land on the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for 2026.
Axiom’s newly unveiled spacesuit made many heads and cameras turn its way, at the IAC conference in Milan. Courtesy: Farah Ghouri
While earlier versions of the suit have previously been shown to the public, proprietary elements of the suit were then obscured by a dark cover layer that would not be used in spaceflight. The latest version, unveiled at a briefing at the IAC, features a white outer layer that will be used in spaceflight. It was a deft PR move by the Texas based space startup given that its partner is none other than Prada, the ubiquitous Italian house of fashion.
These boots are made for walking.. on the Moon. Courtesy: Farah Ghouri
A red stripe on the suit that stands out against the otherwise minimalistic aesthetic is a clever nod to both Prada and NASA. Traditionally NASA has applied a red stripe to a mission commander’s suit to help their fellow astronauts more easily identify them. For the Italian designer, the red line translates to “Linea Rossa” – Prada’s sportswear brand.
Although the luxury designer of course had a sartorial hand in the suit, its greater contribution to the AxEMU was through Prada’s expertise in stitching. Axiom credit the fashion house for helping to pattern the outer layer of the suit, which is designed to reflect sunlight and stop dust (from the Moon’s regolith) from breaching inner layers, a major safety hazard. The new suits have been developed to also allow greater flexibility for astronauts and to withstand the unforgiving conditions of the lunar south pole. It can cope in the permanently shaded regions of the Moon for at least two hours, and be used for around eight hours of EVA. Built into the spacesuit is an onboard diagnostic system, a regenerable carbon dioxide scrubbing system and cooling technology to remove heat from the system.
Of course, the fitting is also key. The spacesuit has been developed to accommodate males and females from the first to 99th percentile (anthropomorphic sizing). Before it can be donned though, the AxEMU will undergo rigorous testing in 2025 when it will enter the critical design review phase.
Comment by Farah Ghouri: Axiom used NASA’s spacesuit prototype (xEMU) and the space agency’s defined requirements as the basis for the design and development of its recently revealed AxEMU spacesuit.
“Make sure you capture my better side”. A side profile view of Axiom’s new spacesuit. Courtesy: Farah Ghouri
One of those key requirements was increased mobility for astronauts, especially as the world gears itself up for crewed lunar exploration and permanent lunar bases. At IAC Shane McFarland, the lead of NASA’s Space Suit Technology Development Strategy, stressed that astronauts will be doing a lot of “walking” on the Moon compared to previous missions. With the introduction of crewed rovers, he explained, an astronaut may need to be able to safely walk back to a spacecraft in the case of their rover breaking down. The ability for astronauts to be able to bend and move their torsos is also something new spacesuits will need to enable – as with an increasing amount of infrastructure on the lunar surface, astronauts will likely be engaging in more repair work.
Courtesy: Farah Ghouri
