Deliveries start in 2023
Canoo, an electric van manufacturer, won the competition to supply the Crew Transportation Vehicles (CTVs) for NASA’s Project Artemis. The goal of the space program is to land humans on Mars for the first time since decades.
These vehicles will be modified versions of Canoo’s Lifestyle Vehicle (LV). The vehicles will be equipped to carry astronauts and their equipment as well as support staff. Delivery will start in June 2023.
It won’t go to the moon, as the Canoo-supplied vehicle will not be. It will be stationed on Earth and will perform the task of transporting astronauts to the rocket. NASA used a specially equipped Airstream RV to perform this task during the Space Shuttle era.
Tony Aquila, Canoo CEO and Chairman of Canoo, said that NASA selected our innovative technologies to transport a diverse group of American astronauts to Mars. This shows a strong commitment to sustainable transportation.
Canoo will construct the NASA transports at its Bentonville and Pryor, Oklahoma locations. The Bentonville plant will produce a commercially-available version of LV in the second half of 2022. The company is expected to produce 14,000-17,000 vehicles per year by 2023.
The Canoo LV has a few technical details. An 80-kilowatt hour battery is capable of providing a range of 250 miles (402 km). The drivetrain can produce 350 horsepower (261kilowatts). Prices start from $34,750, and can go up to $49,950. To supply the battery , the company has entered into a contract to do so with Panasonic.
NASA and SpaceX also collaborate to develop Project Artemis’ lunar lander. The 2025 date for sending people to the Moon is not far away. Before sending astronauts to the moon, there will be uncrewed and crewed flight tests.
General Motors and Lockheed Martin have joined forces to develop a new lunar rover. The vehicle’s intentions for autonomous motoring are not yet known. This rendering by the automaker on Instagram shows an two-seater with a large cargo area and roll hoop. 