The astronaut wears Prada: the fashion manufacturer and the spacesuits
In a few years, people will be walking on the moon again. And they will walk well-dressed: Prada, one of the world's best-known fashion brands, is collaborating on the development of the new space suit.
More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, NASA is planning the next moon mission, called Artemis 3, in an international collaboration. Luxury fashion brand Prada is also on board the project, as the company recently announced. Prada is involved in the development of the new lunar suit, which is to be used in external missions on the moon.
High requirements: Very expensive even without luxury
The conditions on the moon are hostile: There is no breathable air, only low pressure and extreme temperatures on top of that. In sunlight, the thermometer on the moon rises to over 100 degrees Celsius.
Spacesuits for moonwalks must therefore not only be absolutely airtight, but also regulate the temperature, supply the wearer with fresh oxygen and filter out stale air. Last but not least, the person in the suit should also be able to move around as easily as possible, stow tools and carry out work for hours on end.
The development of a spacesuit is therefore very expensive. Together with the production of the new suits, NASA is expected to spend several billion dollars on them. Last year, it awarded the development contract to the aerospace companies Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace.
Prada to contribute innovative design concepts
At the beginning of October, Axiom and the traditional Italian fashion manufacturer Prada announced a cooperation in the development of the suit.
However, this is less about luxurious fashion and style in the "moonwalk" and more about Prada's "technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques and innovative design concepts", as Michael Suffredini, Managing Director of Axiom Space, emphasised in the press release. The moonsuits of the last century were very clunky and designed exclusively for function. Prada should offer a new perspective to better adapt the suits to the needs of the people who are supposed to wear them.
After only white men have walked on the moon so far, women and people of colour are set to walk on the moon for the first time with Artemis 3. In my opinion, this will be the best "fashion show" in the history of mankind.
What do you think of the announcement? Do you think a fashion brand can drive development forward in a meaningful way?
Cover image: Supamotionstock.com/Shutterstock
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.