NASA astronauts will soon be able to travel to space in style, thanks to the addition of the premium fashion brand Prada to the United States space agency. Prada will collaborate with another private company, Axiom Space, to build spacesuits for NASA’s 2025 Moon Mission.
Spacesuits fashion
According to a news statement issued by Axiom Space, the Italian fashion brand will contribute expertise in “raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts.”
It further said that Prada “will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits.”
The companies, as per BBC, said that they would make use of “innovative technologies and design” to allow “greater exploration of the lunar surface than ever before”.
“The development of these next-generation spacesuits is a significant milestone in furthering space exploration, and enabling a deeper understanding of the Moon, the solar system, and beyond,” it added.
How can a fashion label create a spacesuit?
An astronaut told the BBC that they believe Prada is up to the challenge because of their extensive design knowledge, which is not restricted to the Milan catwalks. The apparel label also has an America’s Cup sailing competition experience.
“Prada has considerable experience with various types of composite fabrics and may actually be able to make some real technical contributions to the outer layers of the new space suit,” said Professor Jeffrey Hoffman.
Hoffman has participated in five NASA missions. He has also completed four spacewalks.
Despite Prada’s cooperation, the NASA astronaut stated that people should not expect astronauts to wear “paisley spacesuits or any fancy patterns like that.” stated, “Maintaining a good thermal environment is really the critical thing”.
“A spacesuit is really like a miniature spacecraft. It has to provide pressure, and oxygen, keep you at a reasonable temperature,” he noted.