Extreme lunar heat, long Moonwalks: How Prada is helping NASA prepare for Artemis

Axiom Space and Prada on June 7 unveiled the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment, or LCVG, a high-performance inner layer for the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit intended for NASA’s Artemis program.

The reveal took place in New York City and marks the latest step in a collaboration aimed at preparing astronauts for lunar surface work, more than 50 years after the last human visits to the Moon.

Also Read | Over 100 days after death: Iran announces six-day funeral for Ali Khamenei, burial in Mashhad on July 9

Cooling matters when the heavens beckon

According to Axiom Space, the LCVG is worn inside the spacesuit and is built to regulate temperature and support life support functions during spacewalks.

The garment circulates cold water through tubes placed across the body’s major muscle groups to absorb heat and send it to the suit’s portable life-support system, while a separate ventilation loop delivers fresh oxygen across the astronaut’s face and helps move exhaled carbon dioxide back through the scrubber.

Axiom said the design also includes a fully redundant cooling circuit, providing a backup if the primary loop fails.

Where couture meets cosmic engineering

The company said Prada’s role drew on expertise in engineered knitting, materials, and garment construction, with the LCVG developed through advanced 3D modeling to maintain cooling and ventilation while improving comfort during up to eight-hour spacewalks.

In the official release, Axiom Space CEO and President Dr. Jonathan Cirtain said, “The future of space exploration will not be built by any one entity alone, and our partnership with Prada is proof of that.” He added that the garment was the product of “cross-industry thinking” that neither company could have created independently.

Also Read | '$60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor': Court filing reveals scale of Trump's White House UFC event

The Moon, and a rather demanding customer

Prada Group chief marketing officer and head of sustainability Lorenzo Bertelli said the latest reveal followed the 2024 unveiling of the AxEMU outer layer and reflected the continuation of the partnership.

“When we unveiled the AxEMU, we announced that the collaboration between Prada and Axiom Space would continue beyond that first milestone,” he said, adding that the new work was “born from the unique combination of Axiom Space’s pioneering expertise and Prada’s know-how in design, patternmaking, and advanced materials.”

Axiom Space said the LCVG is being developed for future Artemis missions targeting the Moon’s south polar region, where extreme temperature swings and difficult terrain make thermal regulation and reliability critical.

FAQs

Q1: What is the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG)?

Ans: The LCVG is an inner garment worn inside NASA’s next-generation lunar spacesuit that helps regulate an astronaut’s body temperature and airflow during Moon missions.

Q2: Why is Prada involved in NASA’s lunar spacesuit project?

Ans: Prada is collaborating with Axiom Space by contributing expertise in advanced materials, garment design and engineered textiles for the development of the lunar spacesuit system.