Prada collaborated with commercial space company Axiom Space to create the surface suits for NASA's Artemis III moon mission, which is set to launch in 2026.

The designer outfit is relatively similar to what astronauts have worn in the past.
The external layer of the suit, like that of the Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon over five decades ago, is meant to reflect heat and is mostly white.

It is also built to survive severe temperatures near the lunar south pole and the coldest conditions.
However, the new suit will feature grey and red stripes, which are similar to past Prada products, such as Italy's Luna Rossa America's Cup boat.

The suits are also unisex and may be customised to various sizes.
Artemis III will be the first astronaut moon landing since Apollo 17, which took place in 1972.
According to NASA, this will also be the first time a woman and a person of colour have landed on the Moon's surface.
Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis trip around the Moon, is scheduled to leave Earth in September of next year, paving the way for Artemis III.

Christina Koch is the only woman on the Artemis crew.

According to NASA's website, 24 humans have travelled to the Moon, with barely half stepping on its surface and three of these astronauts returning twice.

Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian, became the first woman to travel to space in 1963, orbiting Earth in the spacecraft Vostok 6.

Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space in 1984.

Design of the new spacesuit

The suit will allow astronauts to do spacewalks for at least eight hours and tolerate extreme cold temperatures for at least two hours, according to the two businesses. 

The businesses stated that the suit has undergone underwater testing to simulate the lunar environment and is nearing completion.

The new suit, formally called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), was unveiled during the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.
According to Axiom Space president Matt Ondler, creating the suit required "extreme engineering".

"[The astronauts] will go in places that are incredibly hazardous, extreme environments," he stated at a press launch in Milan.

"One of NASA's tasks is to search for water craters at the South Pole.

"These are some of the coldest places in the universe and so this suit has to be designed very cleverly."
At the lunar South Pole, a land of mountains and deep craters, the sun is either below or barely over the horizon.

According to NASA, this causes temperatures to rise beyond 54 degrees Celsius during light periods and fall below 203 degrees Celsius in dark places that have never seen the sun.

The suit is designed to provide astronauts with maximum comfort while also protecting them from radiation and external pressure, as well as providing the necessary power and oxygen for moonwalking.