NASA and electric vehicle startup Canoo Technologies have shown off the EV that will transport the next lunar astronauts to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center as part of next year’s Artemis II mission.
The space agency unveiled the vehicle earlier this year, but on Sunday, it gave folks attending the Formula 1 race in Austin, Texas, a closer look at its stylish exterior and rather plush interior.
Close-Up: Detailed views of one of @NASA’s Artemis crew transportation vehicles, currently being debuted to the public at the US Grand Prix Formula 1 race in Austin, TX. The vehicles will transport @NASAArtemis astronauts to Launch Pad 39B, the first nine miles in their journey… pic.twitter.com/9pIkjo00OL
— NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) October 22, 2023
In November of next year, three of the new electric vehicles will transport the four Artemis II astronauts from the Kennedy Space Center’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to Launch Pad 39B about eight miles away, where the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be waiting.
“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,” Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s Artemis launch director, said earlier this year. “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.”
The Artemis II astronauts won’t actually land on the moon, but will instead perform a flyby as they follow the same path as the uncrewed Artemis I test flight from last year, which came within just 80 miles of the lunar surface.
The Artemis II mission will last 10 days and is designed to confirm the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft’s crew support system.
A successful mission will clear the way for Artemis III, which is aiming to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface in a mission currently set for 2025.
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