Canoo delivers its first EVs to assist the NASA Artemis II moon mission

The look forward to Canoo to debut its funky electrical vans is sort of over, however the automaker has already delivered the primary models to prospects. NASA not too long ago took supply of three Crew Transportation Automobiles to be used in its Artemis II mission.

Although the Canoo automobiles look the a part of house exploration automobiles, NASA’s latest EVs are usually not destined to go away this planet. They’ll be used to move astronauts to the launchpad for lunar missions. Tony Aquila, Canoo’s CEO, mentioned, “It’s a really proud day for Canoo and all of our companions who labored so exhausting to make sure we carry out our half to move the astronauts for the primary 9 miles of each launch.”

Canoo specifically designed the interiors of every van to hold fully-suited astronauts and flight assist crew. The automaker mentioned it could reveal extra pictures of the CTV’s inside and exterior later this 12 months, which may coincide with the primary civilian deliveries of Canoo’s EVs. Nonetheless, there could possibly be pace bumps on the way in which to that milestone.

The Artemis II mission will see 4 astronauts take a 10-day flight across the moon to check NASA’s deep house exploration capabilities. It’s the primary time NASA will take a look at with astronauts on board, and it plans to check the Area Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft throughout the flight.

Canoo has been scrambling to get buyer deliveries of its funky EVs out the door. The automaker leased a facility in Oklahoma Metropolis earlier this 12 months, but it surely nonetheless faces appreciable challenges earlier than it could possibly begin constructing automobiles at scale. The corporate emerged from an SEC investigation earlier this 12 months however has reported heavy losses because it appears to get manufacturing off the bottom.

Canoo struck a cope with Walmart final 12 months however introduced that it could outsource manufacturing of that order, and the Military is testing its EVs for mild tactical makes use of. Its authorities contracts have barely stored it afloat, so it is going to be fascinating to see how Canoo progresses if it could possibly’t get the funding it wants to satisfy client demand.