Skift Travel News Blog

Short stories and posts about the daily news happenings around the travel industry.

Ideas

IDEAS: Prada to Design NASA Spacesuits

6 months ago

Commercial space company Axiom Space has announced an unconventional partnership with Italian fashion house Prada, that will see the two companies join forces to design the spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III mission. 

Credit: Axiom Space

The 2025 mission marks two significant milestones, as not only will it be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972, but it will also mark the first time a female astronaut will step foot on the Moon.

According to a release from Axiom Space, engineers at Prada will work alongside their team on the design process for the spacesuits to develop ‘solutions for materials and design features to protect against the unique challenge of space and the lunar environment’. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. 

“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits.”

As luxury brand partnerships become commonplace across the travel industry, the question now is: will private travelers soon be donning Prada spacesuits for commercial space journeys?


Skift Ideas uncovers the most creative and forward-thinking innovations happening across travel. We celebrate innovation through our Skift IDEA Awards and hear from leaders on our Ideas podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the Skift Ideas Podcast through your favorite podcast app here.

Iceland Targets Space Tourists With New Campaign

1 year ago

Visit Iceland launched a new campaign to attract space tourists on Tuesday. Called “Mission Iceland,” the campaign kicked off on November 16 with the launch of a billboard into space with the message: “Iceland. Better than Space.”

The campaign targets the space tourist segment and encourages them to see Iceland an alternative destination to travel. Visit Iceland didn’t name any companies, but it cited the ongoing delays for space travel. Virgin Galactic announced in August that it had to delay its first space tourist mission trip to the second quarter of 2023 due to needed ship enhancements.

“We know there is likely frustration amongst aspiring space travelers who have had their trips delayed and don’t yet know when they will make it to outer space,” said Visit Iceland Head Sigríður Dögg Guðmundsdóttir. “That is why we are encouraging them to take a trip much closer to home instead and for a fraction of the price, and the carbon footprint.”