The Orlando Pride's new space-themed jerseys celebrate the first woman, person of color heading to the moon

• The Orlando Pride's new "Luna Kit" 2022-23 jerseys have arrived.
• The space-inspired look plays on the club's mega-successful "Ad Astra" campaign from last season.

The Orlando Pride are launching into a new frontier.

Following the success of last season's Ad Astra kits, the National Women's Soccer League club has unveiled new jerseys for the upcoming season that peek into the future of space travel and build on the franchise's NASA theme.

The Pride's 2022-23 Luna kit celebrates NASA's Artemis Lunar Exploration program — which launched in 2020 and will bring the first woman and person of color to the moon — while continuing to celebrate Central Florida's proud ties to American space exploration.

"Like the history makers the Luna kit pays tribute to, we're excited to see our players wear this jersey on the field to continue inspiring the next generation of groundbreakers and pioneers," Orlando Senior Vice President of Brand and Marketing Pedro Araujo said.

The white secondary jerseys feature imagery of the moon and the solar system's orbital rings on the front with matching light-gray trim on the collar and sleeves. An all-black version of the Pride's crest is emblazoned on the left side of the shirt as well as the right side of the shorts, and the team's jersey sponsor — Orlando Health — features prominently across the chest of the kit.

The tops also have "To the Moon" written in futuristic, black block letters across the inside of the neckline.

The metallic silver accents, including the players' names and numbers, as well as the meaningful jocktag iconography, call to mind the thermal protective layers found on astronaut suits and space crafts. They also add some extra flair to the light-colored ensemble.

Orlando also pays homage to the Greek goddess of the hunt, the moon, nature, and childbirth who serves as the namesake for NASA's groundbreaking lunar mission with an embellishment on the lower corner of the kit. Artemis — the twin sister of Apollo — can be seen aiming her iconic silver bow into the starry night, standing on a metallic silver crescent moon.

Araujo told Insider that the depiction of Artemis — and what she represents in Greek mythology — perfectly encapsulates the values of the franchise and the "fierce" athletes competing on the pitch for the club.

"We wanted this jersey to honor female excellence," he said. "So we looked for a story that allowed us to look to the future and celebrate the women inspiring the next generation."

As part of this year's jersey rollout, players visited the Kennedy Space Center and took photos in the new threads at the complex's "Apollo/Saturn V Center: Race to the Moon" exhibit. In the past, Kennedy Space Center officials have invited members of the team to watch a rocket launch from nearby Cape Canaveral.

The Pride will finish out this year's NWSL Challenge Cup Saturday before embarking on the 2022 regular season on May 1 with a home game against NJ/NY Gotham at Orlando's Exploria Stadium. Fans can pre-order the team's new jerseys on the club's merchandise website or look for the kit at the team's home opener.