prada designs the hidden layer of NASA’s lunar suit
Axiom Space and Prada reveal the latest result of their ongoing collaboration for NASA’s Artemis program, shifting attention away from the outer shell of the lunar spacesuit and toward the layer worn closest to the astronaut’s body. The new Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG) is designed to be worn inside the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), forming a critical component of the system that will support astronauts as they return to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century.
While the AxEMU’s white exterior has become a recognizable symbol of the next era of lunar exploration, the newly revealed garment addresses a more intimate challenge: how to keep astronauts cool, comfortable, and breathing safely during hours of physical activity in one of the harshest environments imaginable. Developed through a combination of aerospace engineering and advanced textile design, the LCVG functions as a wearable thermal management and ventilation system hidden beneath the protective outer layers of the suit.
all images courtesy of Axiom Space and Prada
from outer protection to inner performance
As astronauts perform spacewalks, their bodies generate substantial metabolic heat that must be removed to prevent overheating. The garment circulates cold water through an extensive network of flexible tubes positioned across the major muscle groups of the body, absorbing excess heat before transferring it to the portable life-support system embedded in the suit. The heat is then expelled into space, maintaining a stable internal temperature throughout missions that may last up to eight hours. Unlike previous cooling garments, the system incorporates fully redundant cooling circuits, ensuring backup functionality if the primary loop experiences a failure.
The project builds upon the partnership first announced in 2024, when Prada contributed to the development of the AxEMU’s outer layer. At the time, the Italian fashion house applied its expertise in materials research and product development to help create a suit capable of withstanding the extreme temperatures and micrometeoroid conditions expected at the Moon’s south pole. The new phase of the collaboration moves inward, focusing on the interface between astronaut and machine, where comfort, mobility, and physiological performance become equally essential.
the garment’s sculpted knit construction accommodates tubing and life-support connections
Axiom Space turns a garment into life-support infrastructure
Drawing on decades of experience in engineered knitwear and technical garment construction, Prada worked alongside Axiom Space to develop the LCVG using advanced three-dimensional modeling techniques. The garment is engineered to maintain cooling and ventilation performance while remaining lightweight and comfortable enough for extended wear. Prada also contributed to the selection and sourcing of specialized fibers intended to withstand repeated use during long-duration missions, translating knowledge typically associated with luxury apparel into a system designed for extraterrestrial survival.
Beyond thermal regulation, the garment plays a vital role in maintaining breathable conditions inside the suit. A separate ventilation circuit continuously delivers fresh oxygen across the astronaut’s face, removing exhaled carbon dioxide and routing it back through the life-support system for filtration and recirculation. Though largely invisible to observers, the technology represents one of the most essential layers of the entire spacesuit architecture.
When astronauts step onto the lunar surface during future Artemis missions, much of the attention will inevitably focus on the suit they wear. Yet one of the most important technologies enabling those journeys will remain hidden beneath the surface, regulating temperature, supporting respiration, and transforming textile innovation into a tool for human exploration beyond Earth.
the next-generation cooling garment that will be worn beneath the AxEMU lunar spacesuit
the LCVG is displayed alongside Axiom Space’s AxEMU spacesuit,