NASA To Continue Use Of Artemis Crew Transporation Fleet After Canoo Bankruptcy And Closure

NASA has confirmed it will continue using the electric transport vans it acquired from Canoo Technologies for Artemis astronaut transport, despite the vehicle manufacturer going out of business. The decision comes after Canoo, the electric vehicle startup that built the specialized vans for NASA, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on Jan. 17, 2025.

The three Artemis Crew Transportation Vehicles (CTV), built under a nearly $150,000 contract awarded in 2022, were delivered to NASA in July 2023.

The vans, designed specifically for ferrying Artemis crews from their pre-launch staging area to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), are now part of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program.

However, Canoo’s abrupt liquidation has raised questions about the long-term maintenance and operational sustainability of these unique vehicles, as spare parts and technical support from the manufacturer are no longer guaranteed.

Canoo’s Short Lived Partnership with NASA

Canoo had struggled financially for years before securing the NASA contract. The company publicly touted the deal as a sign of its electric vehicle technology's credibility, alongside partnerships with entities like the Department of Defense, United States Postal Service, and Walmart.

Despite these high-profile connections, financial troubles persisted. As early as 2022, after winning the NASA contract, the company’s regulatory filings included a "going concern" warning, meaning auditors doubted Canoo’s ability to continue operations due to ongoing losses.

When the company failed to secure capital from a Department of Energy loan program or private investors, it was forced to cease operations immediately upon filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. A court-appointed trustee will now oversee the liquidation of Canoo’s remaining assets.

NASA’s Contingency Plan

The bankruptcy filing initially raised concerns about whether NASA could maintain and operate the vehicles long-term. With Canoo out of business and only a limited number of these vans ever produced, sourcing replacement parts and ensuring continued functionality posed a challenge.

However, NASA has confirmed that the vans remain fully operational and continue to be used for training and mission preparation.

“Our vehicles are in working order for use during training activities and mission preparations...NASA has worked with the manufacturer to train teams at Kennedy to operate and maintain many of the elements and the agency will review those plans as needed.” - NASA Statement

With that said EGS officials had reportedly been in discussions with Canoo prior to its bankruptcy filing, exploring options for maintaining the vehicles despite the company’s uncertain future. The exact details of NASA’s long-term maintenance strategy remain unclear, but given the importance of reliable crew transport for upcoming Artemis missions, the agency will likely consider alternative maintenance solutions or third-party servicing agreements.

Comparing NASA’s Astronaut Transport Vehicles

The Artemis program is the only one currently using Canoo-built electric vans, but NASA has a history of utilizing customized crew transport vehicles across various human spaceflight initiatives.

During the Space Shuttle era, astronauts were transported to the launch pad in an Airstream-built “Astrovan”, which became an iconic part of shuttle operations; Boeing’s Starliner Commercial Crew Program developed an "Astrovan II" in partnership with Airstream, mirroring the shuttle-era design; and SpaceX uses Tesla vehicles, leveraging its ties with Elon Musk’s other venture to transport astronauts to the launch pad for Crew Dragon missions.

NASA’s use of Canoo vans represented an effort to embrace electric vehicle technology, aligning with broader sustainability initiatives. However, with the company no longer in operation, it remains to be seen whether NASA will eventually seek a new provider or extend the lifecycle of the current vehicles beyond their expected operational period.

For now, NASA appears confident in its ability to maintain the existing Canoo vehicles through internal expertise and pre-established contingency measures. However, if Artemis missions continue and increase in frequency, the agency may need a more permanent solution to ensure long-term reliability for astronaut transport.

With Artemis III, NASA’s first planned crewed lunar landing, expected no earlier than 2026, the next few years will determine whether the Canoo vans remain in service or become another short-lived chapter in NASA’s history of astronaut transport vehicles.