If Decathlon already dresses most weekend cyclists, those who enjoy hitting the local pool or lifting weights at the gym, why not dress astronauts, too? This question may seem exaggerated, but a very similar question must have been asked months ago at the French space agency Center National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), which decided to form an alliance with the French sports equipment company. Develop a new Spacesuit. Our goal is to create a prototype this year.

They showed some sketches right now.

Decathlon astronauts? True, the idea is striking; But perhaps soon we will be able to see the spaceship crew wearing suits designed with the help of the French company. The reason is simple: Decathlon is part of the team working on a project by the French space agency CNES to develop a “European-made” spacesuit. Also started to work start Spartan Space and the Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES), responsible for the coordination, are all French.

What kind of suit? Decathlon, MEDES and start Marseillaise Spartan Space aims to develop an IVA spacesuit, a name taken from the English acronym meaning “on-board activities”. The French agency itself insists that this is equipment necessary for safety at certain stages of space missions.

“These will play a vital role in ensuring the safety of astronauts during critical phases of the mission, such as launch and landing,” CNES commented. The effort, the agency emphasizes, is based on the belief that in the future, suits like the one created by Decathlon and MEDES will play a “significant role” in “strengthening European sovereignty for human space exploration.”

What about purpose? CNES director Sébastien Barde puts it clearly: “With its ambition to contribute its own crew to Europe’s future space missions, France wants to assist this development with its skills and technological know-how with an IVA spacesuit. I am pleased that CNES is participating in this development.” Spartan Space joins forces with Decathlon and MEDES in this exciting challenge.

At what stage is it? Although the agency has just presented the project, it has actually been working on this project for months with its collaborators, including Decathlon. CNES explains that since December 2023, working sessions have been held at Decathlon’s research and development center in Lille in the north of the country. “Following information exchange and strategic planning, the four teams embarked on the full development of spacesuit prototypes,” the French agency added.

It may not take long to see the first fruits of this joint effort. CNES announced that the project will end this year and that the “high point” of the project will be the delivery of the prototype suit, a piece of IVA equipment developed by the French agency, and will be the fruit of “an elegant synthesis of experience and collective innovation”. “

So why Decathlon? Million dollar question. Or not. Working with the French space agency, the team includes MEDES, which has been dedicated to the study of space medicine and physiology for decades, and Spartan Space, which works on “solutions for human interventions in harsh environments.” Standing out on the shortlist is Decathlon, a sporting goods retailer that has managed to expand into dozens of countries with more than 2,000 stores.

However, CNES emphasizes that the company is already looking at new horizons. “With its globally recognized experience in the sports textiles sector, Decathlon wants to address the space domain,” the agency adds, after insisting that each of its partners “contributes the unique experience required to produce the next technology.” generation spacesuit.

What is the context? The lawsuit is not an isolated or isolated effort by CNES. The project is part of the Spaceship FR project, which, as the agency recalls, “prepares the human and robotic exploration flights of the future.” MEDES states that Spaceship FR aims to develop human spaceflights focusing on various technological fronts, such as the development of living spaces or the health of astronauts. “Its goal is to solidify and integrate the technological bricks necessary for future Lunar and Mars bases,” he says.

Image | NASA and Decathlon

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