MOON CATWALK:

MOON CATWALK: Italian luxury group Prada and Houston-based start-up Axiom Space unveiled on Wednesday the design of a spacesuit that will be used for NASA’s Artemis 3 mission to the moon. Artemis 3, planned as the first astronaut moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, is currently scheduled for 2026. The new Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), showcased at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, aims to combine highly engineered functionality and aesthetics to deal with challenging lunar conditions. The spacesuits were made to withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and endure the coldest temperatures in the permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours, the two companies said in a joint statement. Astronauts will be able to perform spacewalks for at least eight hours. The AxEMU has already undergone extensive testing, included underwater to simulate the lunar environment. It is nearing the final development stage, the two companies said. PHOTO: REUTERS