Archer and NASA Sign Space Act Agreement to Collaborate on eVTOL Technology

(New York City) Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) announced this morning that it has signed a Space Act Agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the companies' initial project will focus on studying high-performance battery cells and safety testing targeted for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and space applications.

Photo of Archer's Midnight eVTOL in flight courtesy of Archer Aviation.

To commemorate the partnership announcement, executives from NASA and Archer rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) this morning.

“The parties’ collaboration under the NASA Space Act Agreement is focused on ensuring the U.S. leads the world in the next generation of air transportation,” reads this morning’s press release from Archer.

Photo of Archer's CEO Adam Goldstein in front of the NYSE this morning courtesy of Archer Aviation's Instagram account, @flyarcher.

Archer plans to deliver a high-performing battery pack with leading levels of safety to its Midnight electric air taxi, and to thereby validate that these battery cells are tailor-made for aerospace applications, including eVTOL, electric conventional take off and landing (eCTOL) aircraft and potential usage in space. Maturing battery technology is anticipated to be a key enabling factor for the mass production and adoption of electric aviation, according to Archer's press release.

“We’re extremely proud to partner with NASA, who has pioneered the eVTOL industry over the last 3+ decades, in support of our collective mission to ensure U.S. leadership in aerospace continues for decades to come,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s Founder and CEO. “Many countries around the world are challenging the U.S. in this new era of flight and our country is at risk of losing its global leadership position unless we work together, government and industry, to ensure we seize the moment and pioneer this new era of aviation technology, which stands to benefit all Americans.”

The forthcoming tests performed by Archer and NASA will be performed one of the most advanced high speed X-ray facilities in the world, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), to understand how the cells function during extreme abuse cases, according to Archer’s press release.

“Archer has chosen these cells to power the proprietary electric powertrain system Archer has designed, developed and is beginning to mass manufacture for its production electric air taxi, Midnight,” the release reads. “The battery cell form factor chosen by Archer, a cylindrical cell, has a track record of safety, performance and scalability proven through decades of volume manufacturing, deployed across many applications globally, including in millions of electric vehicles.”