ORLANDO, Fla. — Astronauts during the space shuttle era got their rides to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center for the most part from a classic converted Airstream dubbed the Astrovan. For the next generation, NASA has determined what its Artemis astronauts will ride in before blasting off to the moon and beyond.
NASA will get a fleet of three crew transportation vehicles from Canoo Technologies Inc. designed to take the astronauts fully suited up along with their support team and equipment on the 9-mile ride from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to Launch Pad 39-B to board the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System.
The rides, officially referred to as Crew Transportation Vehicles, are based on the company’s all-electric LV model. They won’t be needed until Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the program slated for no earlier than May 2024. Artemis I, an uncrewed flight to the moon is slated to launch this summer. Artemis III, aiming for no earlier than 2025, seeks to return humans including the first woman to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
