Updated

Updated · SpacePolicyOnline.com · Aug 4

SpaceX Replaces MRAPs With Cybertrucks for Crew-13 Escape as September 12 Launch Nears

Updated

Updated · SpacePolicyOnline.com · Aug 4

SpaceX Replaces MRAPs With Cybertrucks for Crew-13 Escape as September 12 Launch Nears

Q: Why is NASA swapping armored MRAPs for an unmodified Cybertruck to rescue Crew-13 astronauts at Cape Canaveral?

NASA is making the swap because it believes the Cybertruck is a faster and simpler pad-evacuation vehicle than the armored MRAPs traditionally kept at Cape Canaveral. NASA and SpaceX say the key advantage is speed. Richard Jones, NASA’s deputy director for the Commercial Crew Office, said the Cybertruck can clear the blast-danger area more quickly than an MRAP if a launch emergency forces astronauts off the pad. He also said it is easier to operate while wearing gloves, an operational detail that matters in a time-critical evacuation. The change is also about logistics. SpaceX already uses Cybertrucks during some of its own launch operations, so NASA can rely on vehicles and crews already in the flow of launch-day activity instead of separately staging MRAPs and their operators. That reduces coordination demands and helps avoid resource conflicts when multiple crew-launch systems are being prepared close together, including SpaceX, Orion/SLS, or Starliner missions. NASA has said the Cybertruck being assigned to Crew-13 is unmodified. The agency said it verified that suited astronauts can get in and use it, but it has not added special armor or other mission-specific changes. That has drawn attention because MRAPs are far more heavily protected and the Cybertruck has faced multiple NHTSA recall campaigns. So the rationale is not added protection; it is quicker evacuation, simpler launch support, and freeing the MRAP fleet for other crewed launch needs.

3 articles · Updated · SpacePolicyOnline.com · Aug 4

Cybertrucks will stand by for Crew-13 pad emergencies in September, marking the first time SpaceX has used Tesla pickups instead of NASA-supported MRAP rescue vehicles.
NASA said the switch gives SpaceX a private escape capability, easing competition for shared MRAP resources that surfaced when Crew-12 preparations overlapped with Artemis II in February.
Richard Jones said the trucks also clear the blast danger area faster; NASA certified them for gloved startup and spacesuited astronaut entry and exit without vehicle modifications.
Crew-13 is targeted for September 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET with Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatnikov aboard Crew Dragon Grace.
NASA moved the mission up from November to restore its six-month ISS rotation after funding improved, and officials said a recent air leak in the Russian segment has stopped.