The inner layer of the spacesuit for lunar missions under the Artemis program is ready. Representatives from Axiom Space and the fashion house Prada assured everyone of this during a joint presentation. This specific component will be responsible for temperature regulation during extreme temperature fluctuations on the Moon.
Spacesuit presentation
On June 7, an unusual event took place at one of Prada’s very expensive flagship stores: a new spacesuit was unveiled there. More specifically, it was the inner layer of the suit, known as the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG). One might be surprised by the choice of venue for such an event, but this is no joke, as Axiom Space served as a partner for the event.
In general, the collaboration between luxury clothing manufacturers and a young private company in such a challenging industry raised questions from the very beginning, several years ago. However, Prada does have considerable experience in developing materials for highly specialized clothing, and it is not daunted by the specific requirements for its products.
The spacesuit’s outer layer was unveiled back in 2024, and it looked just right at the time. However, a lot of time has passed since then, leading many to worry that the project has hit a dead end. This applies not only to the inner layer but to the entire spacesuit as a whole, which would trigger a crisis in the already troubled Artemis program.
Inner spacesuit
And now it seems that Axiom Space and Prada have finally succeeded in their endeavor. Or, at least, they’re close to it. The fashion house’s vertical integration played a significant role in this, proving to be more effective than that of many tech companies. In fact, the suppliers for the main divisions were their own divisions. And this allowed them to avoid repeating the mistakes of other space technology developers, who got stuck in endless rework of what subcontractors had done wrong.
Because the inner part of the spacesuit only appears to be simple. In reality, it must interact, on the one hand, with the astronaut’s vulnerable body, and on the other, with the outer spacesuit, which serves as protection against a whole host of factors, any one of which could kill a person. And the main problem here is heat, which, in principle, cannot be dissipated in the way we’re used to. And the human body tries to do just that even under such conditions, which only makes everything more complicated.
The developers at Axiom Space and Prada didn’t try to reinvent the wheel: a similar system is already in use in space, consisting of a fabric that effectively wicks away sweat and tiny tubes woven into it that carry fluid, allowing heat to be efficiently drawn away from areas where it’s concentrated and delivered to areas where it’s lacking.
The only difference from the internal spacesuits currently in use on the ISS is its far superior, more efficient, and—most importantly—more comfortable design. At least, that’s what representatives from Axiom Space and Prada claim. However, NASA and others still have serious doubts that the spacesuit will be ready before the end of this decade.
However, the developers assure us that they will be able to deliver the first prototype as early as this year. They are also confident in their ability to send another prototype directly into space during the Artemis-3 mission, scheduled for 2027. However, they say it would be best to test it on the ISS.
According to spacenews.com
