Prada and Axiom Space unveil cooling layer for moon suit

Axiom Space and Prada Unveil Cooling Garment for Lunar Spacesuit

Axiom Space and Italian luxury house Prada on Sunday revealed the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment, a specialized inner layer for the next-generation lunar spacesuit that will be worn by astronauts when humans return to the moon’s surface for the first time in more than half a century.

A Cross-Industry Collaboration

The garment, known as the LCVG, is designed to be worn inside the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit during spacewalks lasting up to eight hours. It draws on Prada’s expertise in engineered knitting, advanced 3D modeling techniques, and high-performance materials to regulate temperature and enhance comfort in the extreme conditions of the lunar south pole.ilsole24ore

“By bringing together the best in both aerospace engineering as well as luxury craftsmanship and advanced product development, we have developed a garment that neither company could have created independently,” said Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, Axiom Space CEO and President, in the company’s press release.axiomspace

The unveiling, which took place in New York City, deepens a partnership that began in 2024 when the two companies debuted the AxEMU’s outer layer at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.ksut

How It Works

The LCVG circulates cold water through a network of tubes routed across the body’s major muscle groups, absorbing metabolic heat generated during physical exertion and carrying it to the suit’s portable life-support system, which expels it into space. Unlike legacy cooling garments, the Axiom Space version features a fully redundant cooling circuit as a backup if the primary loop fails.ilsole24ore

The garment also serves a ventilation function, delivering fresh oxygen across an astronaut’s face to wash away exhaled carbon dioxide, which is then routed back through the life-support system’s CO2 scrubber before recirculating.axiomspace

Looking Toward Artemis

Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Chief Marketing Officer, called the LCVG “a new achievement born from the unique combination of Axiom Space’s pioneering expertise and Prada’s know-how in design, patternmaking, and advanced materials, ahead of humanity’s return to the lunar surface.”axiomspace

According to Axiom Space’s press release, the LCVG will be worn during NASA’s Artemis IV mission. Prada’s knowledge of specialized fibers also allows the garment to be worn repeatedly across long-duration missions — a practical requirement for sustained lunar exploration.axiomspace