NASA will wear high-tech Prada "long johns" on the Moon, Verge reports

After more than half a century, NASA's plan to return astronauts to the Moon raises one of the toughest engineering questions: how to design a suit that is much more mobile, more thermally resilient and lighter than the design used since the 1960s. According to The Verge, an important piece of the answer is the most overlooked layer of all — the so-called long johns or thermal regulation layer worn under the suit, which has been designed by Italian fashion house Prada.

The Verge recalls that the suit is being developed by Houston-based private company Axiom Space under a contract from NASA's Artemis programme, with Prada as a technical design partner. The pairing was announced two years ago and represents an unusual intersection of fashion and aerospace engineering. The latest stage covered by The Verge shows that Prada is contributing not only the look but the actual thermal regulation layer.

The under-layer of an astronaut suit may look like a minor detail from outside, but it is in fact one of the most important systems keeping a human alive in space. According to The Verge, Prada's contribution focuses on more efficient placement of the cooling fluid lines running through the suit, while keeping the fabric flexible. The lunar surface can swing from plus 120 °C in sunlight to minus 170 °C in shadow; balancing those extremes is the suit's real measure of success.

The Verge added that the outer layer of the suit has also been redesigned. Compared with the older Apollo suits, the new design has more flexible joint structures, a lighter back life-support module, and a much wider field of view through the helmet. The combination is critical so astronauts can bend more comfortably, pick up rocks, and run on the lunar surface when needed. Apollo-era astronauts faced many constraints from the limitations of their suits.

In programme terms, the suit is the most visible critical component of the delayed Artemis 3 mission. The Verge writes that the latest tests continue at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and that the suit will be exhibited in a thermal vacuum chamber under space-like conditions. There is still much to test before an actual lunar surface walk, but the Prada-contributed under-layer has passed its first phase of testing.

NASA's choice is not only technical but symbolic. According to The Verge, the meeting of the long-dominant US defence industry and the Italian luxury fashion world shows that the modern Artemis programme is being run by a more global coalition. The European Space Agency and Japan's space agency are already Artemis partners. Prada's arrival broadens that coalition into cultural realms.

Cost is another aspect mentioned in The Verge's report. Axiom Space's suit contract with NASA spans multiple years and is worth billions of dollars. Prada's contribution does not appear as a direct line item in the contract; the financial structure between the two firms has been arranged separately. According to The Verge, Prada's additional research-and-development investment also lays the groundwork for advanced fabrics that may make their way into future consumer luxury products.

The Verge also emphasised the suit's importance for NASA's Mars ambitions. The agency's long-term plan is to use the Moon as a testing ground for Mars. Every technology astronauts test on the Moon will face longer, harsher conditions on Mars. According to The Verge, the thermal performance of the Prada-contributed under-layer will form one of the bases for NASA's Mars suit programme. That means the work is a strategic technological investment far beyond a single short-term Moon mission.

For public communication, the suit's debut will be one of the more visible faces of the Artemis programme. The Verge writes that the suit will be shown at a press event in Houston in the coming months. NASA's strategy is to strengthen the link between its space programme and popular culture; a partnership with a luxury fashion house is a direct tool for that goal. It also carries strong visual potential for social media storytelling.

The broader message, as The Verge frames it, is that even the most invisible layer of the return-to-the-Moon effort requires careful engineering. Prada's contribution is not just fabric design; it covers a wide range of technical decisions about heat, movement and durability. The Verge writes that the first lunar surface trial of the suit is expected within the next few years, but that current test results in Houston are a positive signal for the Artemis programme.