• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium

2

'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America

3

Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences

1

Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium

2

'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America

3

Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
space
Europe

Italian fashion giant Prada expands into space suits after landing NASA moon mission contract

Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Ryan Hogg
By
Ryan Hogg
Ryan Hogg
Europe News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 6, 2023, 7:13 AM ET
Axiom won a $228 million contract last year to create a suit for the Artemis III mission, in 2025.
Axiom won a $228 million contract last year to create a suit for the Artemis III mission, in 2025.Mark Felix—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Prada is making plans to expand into space, after the luxury Italian fashion brand inked a deal to help design the suits for NASA’s next moon landing.

Recommended Video

Prada will team up with Axiom Space, a space infrastructure developer, to create the lunar space suits for NASA’s Artemis III mission, the fashion house said in a statement on its website.

The mission, planned for 2025, will see humans return to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. It will also see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface.

“Our decades of experimentation, cutting-edge technology, and design know-how—which started back in the ’90s with Luna Rossa challenging for the America’s Cup—will now be applied to the design of a space suit for the Artemis era.”

“The constantly forward-thinking ethos of Prada for humanity has broadened to [the] desire of adventure and to brave new horizons: space,” said Prada’s group marketing director Lorenzo Bertelli.

Suit details

Few new details were given about the suits themselves, but it is likely Prada will continue to develop a prototype unveiled by Axiom in March.

The group won a $228 million contract last year to design NASA’s space suits as part of a bigger $1.3 billion package to provide infrastructure for the 2025 Artemis III mission. 

The suits have joints stitched to provide astronauts more flexibility than was offered to those on the last moonwalk in the early ’70s. They will also have an in-built HD camera to broadcast the trip back to Earth. They’re intended to enable the astronauts to better explore the moon’s surface and carry out scientific experiments. 

A representative for Prada didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s request for more information on the company’s involvement in making the suits.

In Axiom’s statement, CEO Michael Suffredini hailed Prada’s expertise with “raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts” to create a comfortable suit for NASA’s astronauts.

Prada won’t be the first ostensibly fashion-focused brand to design suits for astronauts.

Andrew Chaikin, an author who interviewed 23 Apollo astronauts for his book, wrote in Smithsonian Magazine that the International Latex Corp. (ILC) was enlisted to build suits for the likes of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin for the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. 

The company was more famous for designing Playtex bras and girdles, a niche that helped its designers create rubber garments that could survive the perilous elements of space, Chaikin wrote.

Each suit cost an estimated $100,000 to make, or nearly $840,000 today, and contained 21 layers of synthetics, neoprene rubber, and metallized polyester films.

In 1994 Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, wrote to the NASA team that designed his space suit to express his appreciation for the “Extravehicular Mobility Unit.”

“It turned out to be one of the most widely photographed spacecraft in history,” Armstrong wrote. “That was no doubt due to the fact that it was so photogenic.

“Equally responsible for its success was its characteristic of hiding from view its ugly occupant. Its true beauty, however, was that it worked. It was tough, reliable, and almost cuddly.”

About the Author
Ryan Hogg
By Ryan HoggEurope News Reporter

Ryan Hogg was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

On the left, a black and white photo of Jim Kavanaugh playing soccer in the 1980s. On the right, a modern headshot of Kavanaugh wearing a blue suit jacket
SuccessCareers
This former U.S. soccer player built a $20 billion-a-year company. Now, he says resilience matters more than talent—and points to Lionel Messi as proof
By Preston ForeJuly 12, 2026
3 hours ago
Trump’s time is running out to avoid a nightmare Strait of Hormuz scenario
EnergyIran
Trump’s time is running out to avoid a nightmare Strait of Hormuz scenario
By Jordan BlumJuly 12, 2026
4 hours ago
3 reasons Bitcoin is stuck in a bear market—and why one analyst predicts a rebound to $100,000 by year-end
CryptoBitcoin
3 reasons Bitcoin is stuck in a bear market—and why one analyst predicts a rebound to $100,000 by year-end
By Camila Grigera NaónJuly 12, 2026
4 hours ago
An older man sits at a table with a laptop in front of him with his chin resting on his hand.
Future of WorkRetirement
More tech workers are retiring early because they don’t want to deal with AI-related changes: ‘Many people believe it’s overblown’
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 12, 2026
4 hours ago
The U.S. and Iran can’t agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
Middle EastIran
The U.S. and Iran can’t agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
By Jason MaJuly 11, 2026
11 hours ago
U.S. military strikes Iran in response to attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz that Tehran said was using an ‘unauthorized route’
EnergyIran
U.S. military strikes Iran in response to attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz that Tehran said was using an ‘unauthorized route’
By Jon Gambrell, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert and The Associated PressJuly 11, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
Environment
Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 10, 2026
2 days ago
'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America
Banking
'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 11, 2026
23 hours ago
Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
Success
Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
By Preston ForeJuly 11, 2026
24 hours ago
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
Success
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
By Emma BurleighJuly 9, 2026
3 days ago
The U.S. and Iran can't agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
Middle East
The U.S. and Iran can't agree on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The solution could be straight out of the Old Testament
By Jason MaJuly 11, 2026
11 hours ago
U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts
Economy
U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts
By Eleanor PringleJuly 10, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.