A prototype European space suit designed to be slipped on in under two minutes is set for testing aboard the International Space Station, where French astronaut Sophie Adenot, now in orbit for her first long-duration mission, will try it out in microgravity.
The prototype, known as the EuroSuit, is designed to protect astronauts inside spacecraft while making suits faster and easier to put on.
The project brings together the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), start-up Spartan Space, the space medicine institute Medes and sporting goods company Decathlon, which developed the textile and ergonomic elements.
Adenot reached the ISS on Saturday after a roughly 34-hour journey from Cape Canaveral in Florida aboard a SpaceX spacecraft. The capsule docked with the station, orbits about 400 kilometres above Earth, at 9:15pm Paris time.
“I am proud to bring France and Europe along on this incredible adventure that transcends borders. Count on me to share every step with you and bring a sparkle to the eyes of the French people,” Adenot said shortly afterwards.
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Two-minute challenge
The 43-year-old – the second French woman to reach space – will test the EuroSuit prototype in microgravity by putting it on alone against the clock in less than 120 seconds.
She will then handle small objects while wearing it, use a touchscreen tablet to assess grip and dexterity, then remove the suit before providing feedback.
Adenot did not wear the EuroSuit for launch because SpaceX provides the suit astronauts wear for take-off. Instead, the prototype will be tested in microgravity aboard the station during the mission.
The CNES is coordinating the microgravity testing for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Spartan Space is leading the work as prime contractor, while Medes is developing real-time monitoring equipment.
Alongside the suit work, Adenot will also test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to help astronauts carry out their own medical ultrasounds.
From sportswear to spacesuits
For Decathlon, founded in 1976 and based in Villeneuve-d’Ascq in northern France, the project marks a step beyond sports and leisure equipment into astronaut clothing.
The company was a partner of the Paris Olympic Games, but this time it is working on equipment with far tighter technical constraints.
The teams focused in particular on helmets adapted to each astronaut’s body shape and on ways to adjust the suit’s length to match the way the human body stretches in microgravity.
“About 40 people worked on it,” Sébastien Haquet, head of Decathlon’s advanced innovation division and the project lead, told RFI.
“Engineers, designers, textile specialists, 3D printing experts and mechanical engineers. Passion took hold of everyone. When the project arrived on our desks, it was quite easy to recruit people. We even had to select a ‘dream team’.”
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The partnership took shape from the end of 2023, Haquet said, when Spartan Space approached Decathlon. They then spent 2024 learning how to work together with CNES before moving into a more intensive design phase.
“From the end of January 2025, we launched a creative sprint, brought the talent together around a table and started designing. We are taking on space standards. We met that challenge by designing a suit in 10 months,” Haquet said.
He added that ESA does not have a design charter for astronaut suits, only a graphic charter, and that defining the aesthetic spirit of the suit was part of Decathlon’s mandate.
ESA is also working with Pierre Cardin on other projects, and NASA is working with Prada.
“It’s interesting to see Decathlon measure itself against long-established luxury brands, when it comes to the strength of its in-house designers,” Haquet said.
Under the suit, Adenot will wear a base layer described as a kind of “layer zero” pyjama made with a seamless process, using a single thread knitted from trousers to top. “You don’t give off any sweat smell with this garment as it absorbs them,” Haquet said.
Being able to suit up independently and shape a suit in under two minutes “does not exist today in the space sector”, he added. “Our suit isn’t yet functional.”
The wider question is how far ESA wants to go on autonomous human spaceflight.
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“By relying on the exceptional expertise of our partners, we are preparing them, when the time comes, to provide this type of suit,” said Sébastien Barde, deputy head of human spaceflight exploration at CNES.
A joint statement from the project partners said the aim is “to imagine the protective and comfort equipment for the European astronauts of tomorrow”.
The suit is designed to improve comfort and speed, and above all to protect the astronaut during “critical phases”. Ground tests are planned through next year and for now the goal is to validate the design and ergonomics.
This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Igor Gauquelin
