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       lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
       
       
       ARTICLE VIEW: 
       
       /
       
       Prada and Axiom Space unveil spacesuit designs for NASA’s Artemis III
       moon mission
       
       By Marianna Cerini and Leah Dolan, CNN
       
       Updated: 
       
       6:47 AM EDT, Wed October 16, 2024
       
       Source: CNN
       
       Luxury fashion house Prada and commercial space company Axiom Space
       have unveiled the designs for a spacesuit that will be worn for
       NASA’s Artemis III moon mission.
       
       Unveiled during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on
       Wednesday, the mostly white suits feature a cropped torso and
       stone-gray patches across the elbows and knees. Although conspicuously
       free of branding or logos, the designs do include red accent lines
       across the forearms, waist and “portable life system backpacks,”
       which nod to Prada’s sub-brand, Linea Rossa.
       
       “This is a groundbreaking partnership,” said Russel Ralston,
       executive vice president of Axiom Space, during the press conference.
       “We’re blending engineering, science and art.”
       
       The slick looking suits include a range of innovative features.
       Astronauts will be able to spacewalk for at least eight hours a day due
       to specially engineered boots. The suits will be made in a white
       material able to reflect heat, offering protection from extremely high
       temperatures and lunar dust, according to a joint press release.�
       Mobility has also been improved since the Apollo 17 designs. But it was
       Prada’s in-depth knowledge of textile production and sewing
       techniques that helped “bridge the gap” between functionality and
       style, reads the release.
       
       The suits — which are gender neutral and one size fits all — have
       also been several years in the making. According to Lorenzo Bertelli,
       chief marketing officer of Prada Group, the fashion house has been
       discussing the collaboration since before the Covid-19 pandemic struck
       in 2020. Around 10 Prada employees worked on the spacesuit, commuting
       between Milan and Axiom’s base in Houston.
       
       Currently scheduled for the second half of 2026, NASA’s Artemis III
       mission plans to be the  astronaut moon landing since Apollo 17 in
       1972. If successful, it could also be the first time a  walks on the
       moon.
       
       “Today, anyone with deep pockets can go to space,” Bertelli told
       journalists in Milan. “Soon it’ll become affordable and people will
       be able to go to the moon. So I think we’re just at the beginning of
       a new era.”
       
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