NASA Picked the Cybertruck for Astronaut Rescue

Illustration by EV Bandit. Not a NASA or SpaceX photograph.

NASA just handed the Tesla Cybertruck a job with slightly higher stakes than a Costco run: pulling astronauts off the launch pad if something goes wrong.

At an August 3 briefing previewing SpaceX Crew-13 — a mission targeted to carry four astronauts to the International Space Station on September 12, 2026 — NASA confirmed that Cybertrucks will stand by as the crew's emergency egress vehicles, replacing the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) that have held that job since 2013.

One correction to how this story is being told everywhere else: NASA didn't shop for a truck and pick a Cybertruck. SpaceX chose it, and NASA signed off. That distinction matters, and the reason behind it is more interesting than the headline.

What NASA actually said

Richard Jones, deputy program manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, laid out the reasoning at the briefing. It comes down to two things — and only one of them is about the truck:

“The speed at which a Cybertruck can exit the blast danger area is definitely one of the reasons why SpaceX has chosen to go in that direction, but I think really the main thing that I want to iterate is that it decouples a conflict in terms of trying to compete for the same resources for an MRAP for the personnel associated with those operations.”

— Richard Jones, Deputy Program Manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program, August 3, 2026

Translated: the MRAP fleet is a shared government resource, and sharing it got painful. This past February, SpaceX was preparing to launch Crew-12 at the same time NASA was working an Artemis II launch attempt — two crewed operations competing for the same armored vehicles and the same trained personnel. Moving to what Jones called a “private rescue capability” means SpaceX controls its own gear on its own schedule.

The speed argument is real, but secondary. An MRAP weighs roughly 45,000 pounds. A Cybertruck weighs about 6,900. If your job is to be somewhere else, fast, that math is not close.

Zero modifications — but it still had to be certified

Here's the detail Cybertruck owners should find genuinely interesting: Jones said no modifications were needed. These are stock trucks.

They did have to pass a certification process, and the two things NASA checked are wonderfully specific:

• Can it be started with a gloved hand? A pressurized launch-entry suit glove is thick and clumsy. Capacitive touchscreens and gloves famously do not get along.
• Can a suited astronaut get in and out? Door aperture, seat geometry, and step-in height all had to work for someone wearing a full suit and possibly in a hurry.

It passed both, as delivered. Whatever else you think about the Cybertruck, a stock consumer vehicle clearing a NASA human-spaceflight ground-ops certification without a single hardware change is not nothing.

The eleven-recall elephant in the room

We're not going to pretend this isn't a strange headline. NHTSA has issued 11 recall campaigns against the Cybertruck since launch, covering a stuck accelerator pedal, detached trim, inverter failures, wheels that could come loose, and a batch assembled with the wrong adhesive. It also can't be legally registered in the UK or the EU, where it fails pedestrian-safety rules. Plenty of outlets ran this story as a punchline, and the criticism isn't baseless.

Two things are worth holding at once. The MRAP it replaces was engineered to survive landmines and shrapnel; the Cybertruck was not, and no amount of stainless steel changes that. But the pad-abort scenario isn't a firefight — it's a race away from a fuelled rocket, and the fastest vehicle that a suited crew can reliably board is a defensible answer to that specific problem. NASA has also not committed to retiring its MRAP fleet permanently. This is Crew-13.

Worth noting: SpaceX has already been using Cybertrucks as escape vehicles for its own personnel. Crew-13 is the first time the arrangement covers a NASA astronaut crew.

Gear your Cybertruck for anything

You are probably not pulling astronauts off a launch pad this September. But if a stock Cybertruck cleared a NASA ground-ops cert with zero modifications, it's a fair moment to ask whether yours is actually set up to use what it's got. Everything below is real stock in our warehouse right now — we've flagged what isn't.

Cyber Rover Forged Beadlock Wheels (Set of 4) — from $4,000. A true beadlock design built for low-pressure off-road running. In stock: 18″ Satin Gunmetal, 20″ Satin Black, 20″ Satin Gunmetal. Sold out: 18″ Satin Black and 18″ Satin Bronze.

3D MAXpider All-Weather Floor Mat Set — Cybertruck — from $281.88, Kagu or Elitect. The unglamorous upgrade that actually pays for itself the first time you climb in with wet boots. Well stocked.

Headlight Clear PPF Shield — from $44.95. An 8-mil clear paint protection film for the headlights and light bar that takes rock chips without yellowing. Low stock — 2 left on Headlights Only.

9H Screen Protectors — Cybertruck Front & Rear Display — $49.95, matte or clear. Well stocked.

Running Boards / Side Steps — $699. Easier cab access when you're loaded up with gear. Currently backordered — orders ship when new stock lands.

Shop the Full Cybertruck Collection

Wall Street may still be calling the Cybertruck the flop of the decade. But on September 12, when four people in pressure suits ride the elevator up to a Falcon 9, the vehicle idling below with the door open will be a stainless steel pickup that a lot of people said was a joke. That's a review no stock price captures.

Own a Cybertruck, or arguing with someone who does? We go back and forth on this stuff daily with 170,000 owners in the Tesla Model Y Owners Facebook group — come tell us whether NASA got this one right.

Sources

• SpacePolicyOnline — SpaceX Replacing MRAPs with Cybertrucks Beginning with Crew-13 (Marcia Smith, Aug 3, 2026)
• Gizmodo — SpaceX Is Betting on Cybertrucks to Save NASA Astronauts in an Emergency (Aug 5, 2026)
• Fast Company — Cybertrucks are replacing NASA's military escape vehicles at SpaceX launches
• The Register — NASA puts astronauts' lives in the hands of Tesla's flaky Cybertruck (Aug 4, 2026)
• Houston Public Media — NASA eyes September launch date for SpaceX Crew-13

EV Bandit is an independent aftermarket retailer. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tesla, SpaceX, or NASA. Graphics in this article are EV Bandit illustrations, not NASA or SpaceX imagery. Launch dates and mission details are subject to change.