Electric vehicle startup Canoo has delivered its first shipment to NASA. The trio of the company’s Crew Transport Vehicles (CTVs) arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida this week. These vans are designed to transport astronauts to launch pads, starting with NASA’s upcoming Artemis 2 mission.
Building on the company’s current lifestyle vehicle design, the vans will be able to carry all-equipped astronauts, as well as flight support crew and any equipment they may need, Canoo said. “The vehicles have a special interior and exterior design that will provide comfort and safety to astronauts and crew on the nine-mile [about 15 kilometers] journey to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center,” the company said, adding that it will share interior shots of the vehicles later this year.
The Artemis 2 mission will mark the start of NASA’s first manned mission to the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. Four astronauts will travel around our natural satellite during the 10-day flight. During Artemis 2, NASA plans to conduct additional tests of the Orion capsule and the Space Launch System (SLS) very heavy payload rocket, and will ensure that both spacecraft are safe for future crewed missions to the lunar surface.
From Canoo’s perspective, this deal represents a great chance to increase interest in the automaker’s EVs. In May 2022, the company warned investors that its resources were running low. Later, it announced a deal with Walmart store to provide 4,500 EVs. In addition, the company delivered a test vehicle to the US Army. Still, even with these agreements in place, it may need to do much more before achieving financial sustainability…
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