NASA's Crew-13 will use Tesla Cybertrucks for emergency evacuations
NASA's Crew-13 mission, launching September 12, 2026, is shaking things up by using Tesla Cybertrucks instead of the usual MRAP vehicles to evacuate astronauts if there's an emergency.
SpaceX says the switch should speed up response times and free up MRAPs for other important tasks.
As Richard Jones, deputy program manager for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, put it, this move helps avoid competition for those heavy-duty vehicles.
Crew-13 roster named amid Cybertruck concerns
The Falcon 9 rocket will carry NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov to the ISS.
While some folks are raising eyebrows over Cybertruck's safety record (there have been 11 recalls so far), Tesla claims that Cybertruck's stainless steel exoskeleton is tough enough to withstand small impacts, in addition to the vehicle's ultra-strong armor glass.