Columbia Sportswear x Lunar Lander - 2025 Space Mission

Columbia Announces a Major Advancement in Its Collaboration with Intuitive Machines for an Upcoming Lunar Mission

In close collaboration with NASA and the space exploration company Intuitive Machines, which works alongside Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Columbia has developed advanced fabrics for an imminent lunar mission. By February 26, the IM-2 Athena lander will be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wrapped in cutting-edge materials developed by Columbia Sportswear.

The innovative Omni-Heat™ Infinity technology, originally designed for the brand’s winter apparel, and the new Omni-Shade™ Sun Deflector will protect and insulate the lander during its journey to the Moon, where it will face extreme conditions. Once it successfully lands, IM-2 will drill into the lunar south pole’s surface in search of ice.

In the official statement, Haskell Beckham, Columbia Sportswear’s Vice President of Innovation, stated:
“With the IM-1 mission, we demonstrated the insulating effectiveness and durability of our Omni-Heat Infinity technology, the same technology we use in our outerwear and winter gear. This historic milestone was just the beginning—we knew we had only begun to unlock the true potential of Columbia’s patented innovations.”

The Omni-Shade Sun Deflector, designed to protect against intense heat, will be applied to the multi-layer insulation (MLI) blanket on top of the lander. This same technology, based on titanium dioxide reflective dots, is also used in Columbia’s warm-weather apparel to deflect solar rays. Meanwhile, the Omni-Heat Infinity will insulate the lander’s helium tank, shielding it from extreme temperatures ranging from +250°F to -250°F.

The new COLUMBIA collection will be available on HUBT1.