Decathlon has unveiled its first ever space suit, designed to be used by European astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Europe’s biggest sport retailer built the EuroSuit in collaboration with the French national space agency CNES, with the aim of bringing Europe “sovereignty in human space exploration”.
The EuroSuit is designed to be used for intra-vehicular activity (IVA), rather than spacewalks. This will see astronauts suit up during launch, re-entry and emergencies, but not when exposed to the extreme environment beyond their capsule walls.
“EuroSuit embodies our ability to push the boundaries of innovation, beyond our traditional areas of expertise,” said Sébastien Haquet, director of advanced innovation at Decathlon.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to explore new fields of application for our textile and product design know-how, in an environment as demanding as space.”
A prototype of the space suit will be tested on the ISS in 2026, with French astronaut Sophie Adenot wearing it during the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Epsilon mission.
She will test its manoeuvrability in a microgravity environment onboard the space station, as well as its functionality while performing tasks like interacting with a touchscreen.
One of the big technical advances of the EuroSuit is how fast it can be put on, with astronauts able to suit up in under two minutes entirely unaided.
This is a first in the space sector, making it particularly useful for ensuring astronaut safety during emergency situations.
Future versions of the suit will come integrated with communications systems and a head-up display, according to CNES, with the final design expected to be unveiled later this decade.
“In line with the European goal of achieving greater autonomy for human spaceflight, CNES has chosen to focus on in-vehicle suits,” said Sébastien Barde, deputy director of exploration and human spaceflight at CNES.
“By leveraging the exceptional expertise of our partners, we are preparing them to supply this type of suit when the time comes.”
