Canoo Will Build NASA's Next Astrovan for Artemis Lunar Missions
The forward-control EV company will ferry astronauts to the launchpad.
UPDATE 4/13/22: Canoo and NASA announced on April 13, 2022 that the forward-control startup will indeed build a new astronaut carrier. From the concept image provided to us by Canoo, it will be a modified version of their Lifestyle Vehicle and a trio of them in the 22 minute long convoy to the launch pad. As customizable and open as Canoo says its Lifestyle is, we aren't surprised that NASA chose it. As a skateboard-style EV that has its controls fully integrated into its chassis, there's plenty of interior room to build out space for the fully suited fully suited astronauts, their flight staff, and their support gear to fit inside three Lifestyle Vehicels without resorting to something the size of an RV.While it would have been great to see a return of the original stainless steel RV-sized version of the "Astrovan," it's still fun to see that an American-made forward control vehicle will be used again.
The original story continues below.
With the next mission to the Moon—Artemis One—delayed but still underway, NASA has teased us with plenty of details about the mission, like how the astronauts will get there, and what they will ride around on while on the moon. There was one part of the mission that hasn't been announced yet but is equally critical: how to ferry those astronauts and their helpers to the launchpad. If this government website is correct, it looks like there's going to be a new forward-controlled "Astrovan" built by Canoo.
Bloomberg first picked upthat the U.S. General Services Administration's website was updated last week with details of a new NASA contract with Canoo. According to the government website, the contract is valued at $147,855 with Canoo, but is open to other bidders until later this month.
Canoo didn't deny it when reached byMotorTrend, but only stated that NASA has contacted them without elaborating. It's possible things haven't completely finalized yet, but we'll probably know more very soon.
We're excited, not just as fans ofFuturamaand space travel, but as the last Astrovan is embedded in history as the 1983 Airstream Excella featured an all stainless steel body, glimmering as it took the shuttle astronauts and their equipment specialists a 22-minute ride from Operations to the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.
The only issue is if the next wheeled shuttle can be called "Astrovan," as Boeing and Airstream have since built "Astrovan II" and may be funny about sharing the name. It's built off the Atlas motorhome that is based off of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis but modified for use by Boeing as part of their commercial crewed spaceflight program, the CST-100 Starliner. While Starliner has launched, it has yet to do so with a crew as it faced many issues during its first test flight—where it missed its target to reach and dock with the International Space Station—to issues with its propulsion system valves while waiting to launch on its second test mission.
Again, while it hasn't been made official, word is that we'll learn something soon from NASA about its next astronaut shuttle. Meanwhile, we dream about the amazing looking Astrovan, imagining the sun reflecting off its stainless steel body as it drives to the launchpad. For a vehicle with such a simple job, it still looked as amazing as it was iconic while doing it.
Historic images provided by NASA
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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