The means of transportation that NASA will transport its astronauts to on the approximately 15-mile route from the crew center to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida are changing.
NASA is known to plan a host of impressive gear for the upcoming Artemis missions, from a giant rocket to new moon rovers and lunar spacesuits. The space agency is also preparing to replace the vehicles that transport astronauts from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Exit Building to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, so as not to leave any spots unexamined.
Like many other projects underway, NASA engaged a private partner to develop a solution for this project. For this project, NASA selected Canoo Technologies, an Arkansas-based EV startup. The company will now design and manufacture three private vans, or Crew Transport Vehicles (CTVs), as the space agency calls it. Canoo should prepare the fleet for tests in June 2023. The first crewed Artemis flights are not planned before 2024.
Canoo CEO Tony Aquila said in a press release, “We are honored to bring the Artemis crew to the launch site for the first manned Moon landing in more than 50 years.” The company plans to launch its first electric vans later this year, choosing Pryor, Oklahoma, as the location for its factory. The capsule-like Artemis vans will be based on the company’s all-electric commercial models.
Three minibuses to be built for NASA will carry a total of four ready-to-fly astronauts, flight support personnel and related equipment to the launch pad. Canoo also needs to ensure that vehicles can support pre-launch operations such as training and launch countdown tests. Canoo states that its electric vans are environmentally friendly and can be easily recycled at end-of-life, as well as being modular and upgradeable.
The introduction of Canoo’s CTVs marks the end of the road for NASA’s now aging Astrovan fleet, which dates back to 1983.
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