NASA Will Wear High-Tech Prada Long Johns to the Moon

NASA and Prada Are Taking High-Tech Underwear to the Moon

When most people think of Prada, they picture luxury handbags, runway fashion, and Milan boutiques. But the iconic Italian fashion house is making headlines for an entirely different reason: designing the undersuit that NASA astronauts will wear beneath their spacesuits on the Moon. This isn't just a celebrity brand endorsement — it's a serious feat of engineering, and it could play a critical role in keeping astronauts alive during the Artemis IV lunar mission in 2028.

The garment in question is called the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment, or LCVG. It's the sophisticated base layer that sits directly against an astronaut's skin while they wear the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, known as the AxEMU spacesuit. Think of it as the world's most advanced pair of long johns — and quite possibly the most expensive underwear ever worn on the Moon.

What Is the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment?

The LCVG is far more than just a comfort layer. It is a precisely engineered thermal management system designed to solve one of the most persistent challenges of spacewalking: heat. When astronauts perform extravehicular activities — what NASA calls EVAs, or spacewalks — their bodies generate tremendous amounts of heat through physical exertion. Without a reliable cooling mechanism, the internal temperature inside a spacesuit could rise to dangerous levels within minutes.

The solution that engineers have relied on for decades is liquid cooling. The LCVG contains a network of thin tubes woven directly into the fabric of the garment. Cold water is continuously circulated through these tubes, running close to the skin and absorbing excess body heat before it can accumulate. That warmed water is then routed out of the garment, cooled down, and recirculated — a closed-loop system that quietly manages an astronaut's thermal environment throughout a mission.

In addition to liquid cooling, the garment also houses the ventilation system responsible for moving air around the astronaut's body. This dual function — liquid cooling and active ventilation — is precisely where the garment gets its name.

What Makes This Version Different From Earlier Designs?

Cooling garments are not new to spaceflight. NASA astronauts have used versions of the LCVG since the Apollo era, and iterations of the technology have been in use aboard the International Space Station for years. However, the version developed for the Artemis IV mission by Axiom Space and Prada introduces meaningful advances over those older systems.

Perhaps the most significant upgrade is the inclusion of a backup cooling system. Earlier cooling suits relied on a single primary cooling circuit, meaning that if that system failed during a spacewalk, astronauts would have no mechanical fallback for managing body heat. The new Prada-designed LCVG addresses that vulnerability directly by incorporating a redundant backup system that can activate if the primary circuit encounters a problem. In the harsh and unforgiving environment of lunar space, that redundancy is not a luxury — it is a lifeline.

Beyond safety, the garment has also been refined for comfort and fit. This is where Prada's expertise in materials, construction, and wearability becomes genuinely relevant. The fashion house brings decades of experience working with technical textiles and precision tailoring, skills that translate remarkably well into designing a garment that must fit snugly, move with the body, and maintain consistent contact between the cooling tubes and the astronaut's skin. A poor fit could create gaps that reduce cooling efficiency at exactly the wrong moment.

The Axiom Space and Prada Partnership

The LCVG reveal builds on the existing collaboration between Axiom Space and Prada that was first announced in connection with the AxEMU spacesuit. Axiom Space, the Houston-based private space company, holds a NASA contract to develop next-generation spacesuits for Artemis lunar surface missions. Rather than handling every element of design in-house, Axiom brought Prada on board to contribute expertise in advanced materials and garment engineering.

The partnership raised eyebrows when it was first announced — many observers questioned what a luxury fashion brand had to offer space exploration. But as the technical details of both the AxEMU and the LCVG have come to light, it has become clear that the collaboration is grounded in practical engineering considerations rather than marketing optics. Prada's research into high-performance fabrics, durable stitching techniques, and ergonomic garment construction directly supports the functional demands of a spacesuit system.

Why the Base Layer Matters So Much

It might be tempting to dismiss the LCVG as a supporting player compared to the dramatic outer shell of a spacesuit. In reality, the base layer is where the astronaut's comfort and safety are most directly managed. The outer suit protects against radiation, micrometeoroids, and the vacuum of space. But it is the LCVG that keeps the human body inside that suit at a safe, stable temperature during hours of physically demanding work on the lunar surface.

Artemis IV is expected to be one of the most ambitious Moon missions in history, with astronauts spending extended time on the lunar surface and conducting multiple spacewalks. The thermal demands on crew members will be significant, making a reliable, well-designed LCVG absolutely essential to mission success.

Looking Ahead to Artemis IV in 2028

With the Artemis IV mission currently targeted for 2028, the development of every component of the lunar surface system — including the undergarments — is well underway. The unveiling of the LCVG represents another concrete step toward returning humans to the Moon, this time to stay longer and go farther than the Apollo missions ever did.

For Prada, it is a remarkable chapter in a storied brand history. For NASA and Axiom Space, it is a demonstration that the future of space exploration will be built through unexpected partnerships, innovative materials, and a relentless focus on keeping astronauts safe — even at the level of what they wear closest to their skin. And for the astronauts of Artemis IV, those high-tech Prada long johns may turn out to be the most important thing they pack for the trip to the Moon.