Decathlon in collaboration with CNES (the French space agency), Spartan Space and MEDES, is stretching the boundaries of design and performance with its EuroSuit, a prototype intra-vehicular (IVA) space suit. The protective equipment is designed for use during critical mission phases like launch and landing and is engineered to be pulled on or off in under two minutes, fully autonomously, a first in the IVA category.
The design process brings Decathlon’s sports-gear expertise into the realm of space-tech demands. The suit features bellows at elbows, knees, and shoulders to maximize mobility, and a lattice structured helmet that adapts to an astronaut’s unique morphology for custom-fit comfort. Sealed ergonomic zippers make the suit intuitive to use, while its modular proportions account for the fact that humans slightly elongate in microgravity.
Beyond the suits performance function, MEDES have enhanced its protective functionality by implementing a biomonitoring system to track vital signs in real time inside the suit, ensuring health and safety are prioritized.
Decathlon’s role speaks to an unexpected yet powerful design strategy of applying sportswear innovation to space. Their advanced-innovation division is reimagining textiles and ergonomics under extreme conditions translating decades of athletic design into protective gear for Europe’s next-generation astronauts.
European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot will test the EuroSuit aboard the International Space Station during the Epsilon mission in 2026, assessing how well the suit supports movement, usability and emergency responsiveness in a real microgravity environment.
