Prada is unveiling an inner-layer cooling and ventilation garment for NASA’s AxEMU spacesuit, developed with Axiom Space, signaling a bold move into space industry partnerships.

The next generation LCVG includes a fully redundant cooling circuit and a separate oxygen delivery loop to continuously remove exhaled CO2 and keep astronauts comfortable.

The AxEMU program is undergoing ongoing testing, including underwater trials at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and integration tests with Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicles.

Cold, variable conditions at the Moon’s South Pole are prompting suit upgrades to withstand extreme temperature differentials and harsher environments.

Artemis-era spacesuit advancements emphasize greater mobility and more capable gait, building on Apollo-era designs through advanced materials science.

The suit system supports a sustainable lunar economy by enabling robust exploration with redundant systems and onboard diagnostics for harsh environments.

NASA and Axiom Space aim to test the new undergarment on the ISS and potentially during Artemis III, targeting readiness for a 2028 Moon landing after earlier schedule slips.

Axiom plans to test the AxEMU in Artemis III in 2027, focusing on rendezvous and docking in low Earth orbit, with a qualification suit undergoing ground testing.

Possible flight tests for Artemis III or ISS demonstrations are on the table as NASA signals intent to field a next-generation suit soon.

The AxEMU is designed to be evolvable for multiple environments, enabling collaboration between government and commercial astronauts across LEO and future lunar operations.

The broader goal is longer, safer, and more comfortable lunar EVAs, paving NASA’s renewed, sustained Moon presence.

Rigorous testing—simulations, underwater, and reduced-gravity trials—are essential to validate the garment’s performance within the suit architecture.