After the devil, the astronauts will dress in Prada

The mission is scheduled for September 2026. It is called Artemis III and will once again send a few astronauts to the Moon. So far, nothing special. Except that we learn that they will wear suits whose design, entrusted to the American company Axiom Spacebenefits from the collaboration of the famous Milanese luxury group Prada. Isn’t that a bit futile? After the boastful announcements of Elon Musk about to embark for Mars (monstrous level of unconsciousness, as we ignore the chances of survival of such a trip) with a crew, we really no longer know what to do to praise the upcoming shipments.

Artemis III will be a crewed space mission whose goal is to return humans to Mars. There hasn’t been one since Apollo 17 in December 1972. Four astronauts will have to descend to the surface of the Moon aboard the Starship HLS lander to stay there for six and a half days. Among them, a woman, who will be the first to walk on the Moon. But Artemis is above all a program.

Initially with simplified missions. A lunar vessel with reduced capabilities, a crew on lunar soil of two astronauts (later four), reduced scientific equipment, and the mass of lunar rocks brought back to Earth limited, all for a relatively short stay. The mission Artemis I took place at the end of 2022, with the Orion spacecraft, but without crew or landing. In September 2025, the expedition will be reproduced identically, but this time with crew and still circumlunar, therefore without landing.

We can therefore say that serious things will begin with Artemis III. Its duration? Between twenty-five and thirty-four days. The stay on the Moon, as we said, will last a little more than six days, three more than the previous Apollo mission. Two spacewalks lasting a minimum of four hours are planned. It all seems very precise. Will we have time to worry about the luxury brand of astronaut outfits? Not sure. The publicity stunt, in all likelihood, is now.

The suits unveiled these days are white, with touches of gray and red stripes inspired by the Italian sailboat Red Moonfamous thanks to the America’s Cup. Protection and comfort seem to be the key words of the operation. Remember that lunar conditions are very hostile, particularly at the South Pole. But details of the materials that will be used remain, by virtue of industrial secrecy, confidential. We will know more when the time comes… or not.

“Latest news”

Want to stay on top of the news? “Tribune de Genève” offers you two meetings per day, directly in your email box. So you don’t miss anything that’s happening in your canton, in Switzerland or around the world.

Other newsletters

Log in

Did you find an error? Please report it to us.

2 comments