Prada designs the hidden layer of NASA’s lunar suit
Axiom Space and Prada reveal the latest result of their ongoing collaboration for of NASA Artemis program, turning attention away from the outer shell of the Moon spacesuit and to the layer worn closest to the astronaut’s body. The new Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Suit (LCVG) is designed to be worn inside the Axiom Extraskeletal Mobility Unit (AxEMU), 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 AxEMU’s white exterior has become a recognizable symbol of the next era of lunar exploration, the recently unveiled suit faces a more familiar 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 suit’s protective outer layers.
all images courtesy of Axiom Space and Prada
from external protection to internal performance
As astronauts perform spacewalks, their bodies generate significant metabolic heat that must be removed to prevent overheating. The suit circulates cold water through an extensive network of hoses placed in the body’s major muscle groups, absorbing excess heat before transferring it to the portable life support system built into the suit. The heat is then expelled into space, maintaining a constant internal temperature throughout missions that can last up to eight hours. Unlike previous cooling suits, the system incorporates fully redundant cooling circuits, ensuring back-up functionality should the main loop fail.
The project builds on the partnership first announced in 2024, when Prada contributed to the development of AxEMU’s outer layer. At that 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 collaboration moves inward, focusing on the interface between astronaut and machine, where comfort, mobility and physiological performance become equally important.
The garment’s textured knit construction accommodates life support tubes and connections
Axiom Space turns a garment into life support infrastructure
Drawing on decades of experience in engineering knitwear and technical apparel, Prada worked alongside Axiom Space to develop the LCVG using advanced 3D modeling techniques. The garment is designed to maintain cooling and ventilation performance while remaining light and comfortable enough for extended wear. Prada also contributed to the selection and supply of specialized fibers intended to withstand repeated use during long-duration missions, transforming knowledge normally associated with luxury clothing into a system designed for alien survival.
In addition to thermal regulation, the garment plays a vital role in maintaining breathing conditions inside the suit. A separate ventilation circuit continuously supplies fresh oxygen to the astronaut’s entire face, removing exhaled carbon dioxide and routing it back through the life support system for filtration and recirculation. Although largely invisible to observers, the technology represents one of the most fundamental 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. However, one of the most important technologies enabling these journeys will remain hidden beneath the surface, regulating temperature, supporting respiration and turning textile innovation into a tool for human exploration beyond Earth.
the next-generation cooling garment to be worn under the AxEMU lunar spacesuit
LCVG shown alongside Axiom Space’s AxEMU space suit,
