NASA’s Artemis crews to ride in style as new fleet of vehicles arrive at KSC
With the Vehicle Assembly Building in the background, the three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2023. The zer
ORLANDO, Fla. - When the Artemis astronauts prepare to shuttle out to the massive moon rocket at Launch Pad 39B, they will be rolling in style inside a new fleet of vehicles that just arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Teams from manufacturer Canoo Technologies Inc. of Torrance, California, delivered the three fully electric transportation vehicles to Florida on Tuesday, July 11. The zero-emission vehicles can carry four astronauts in their Orion crew survival system spacesuits and support personnel, with a little extra room for specialized equipment.
"The new vehicles are customized to accommodate NASA’s unique specifications for Artemis missions while also paying homage to the legacy of the agency’s human spaceflight and space exploration efforts," NASA said. "Many aspects of the design, from the interior and exterior markings to the color of the vehicles to the wheel wells, were chosen by a creative team that included the Artemis launch director and representatives from NASA’s Astronaut Office based at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "
Canoo was awarded a contract in April 2022 to manufacture the vehicles.
"The collaboration between Canoo and our NASA representatives focused on the crews’ safety and comfort on the way to the pad ahead of their journey to the Moon," said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s Artemis launch director. "I have no doubt everyone who sees these new vehicles will feel the same sense of pride I have for this next endeavor of crewed Artemis missions."
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Ahead of Artemis II, the first crewed mission under Artemis that will send four astronauts around the Moon and bring them home, the fleet will be used for astronaut training exercises at the spaceport.