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Three all-electric “Astrovans” built by Canoo Technologies were delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA
A fleet of three all-electric vehicles was delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to function the ultimate terrestrial transportation for Artemis astronauts before boarding the Orion spacecraft to fly to the Moon.
Built by Canoo Technologies Inc. of Torrance, California, the vehicles arrived July 11, 2023, just a little greater than a yr after NASA awarded the corporate the contract in April 2022. The vehicles will transport Artemis program astronauts from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Constructing to Launch Complex 39B to board an Orion spacecraft on top of the large Space Launch System rocket.
“The collaboration between Canoo and our NASA representatives focused on the crews’ safety and luxury on the approach to the pad ahead of their journey to the Moon,” Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s Artemis launch director, said in an agency news release. “I even have little question everyone who sees these recent vehicles will feel the identical sense of pride I even have for this next endeavor of crewed Artemis missions.”
NASA said the vehicles were specially designed to satisfy the needs of the Artemis program and are in a position to carry 4 astronauts wearing Orion crew survival system suits together with supporting personnel and suit technicians and specialized equipment.
These recent vehicles pay tribute to NASA’s legacy human spaceflight program, including decals showing the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. Their designs, NASA said, were chosen by a team that included the Artemis launch director and representatives from the astronaut office at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Along with its primary purpose of transporting astronauts to the launch pad, these vehicles may even be used for training exercises before missions.
The Artemis 2 crew shall be the primary to make use of these recent “Astrovans.” They include NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, in addition to Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. As early as November 2024, they are going to ride these vehicles from the Operations and Checkout Constructing all of the approach to Launch Complex 39B, a distance of some 9 miles (15 kilometers).
Artemis 2 will see these 4 astronauts launch in an Orion spacecraft atop a Space Launch System rocket. They are going to then perform a 10-day test flight mission that features a flyby of the Moon. They shall be the primary to see the Moon up close for the reason that end of the Apollo program in 1972.
“We’re thrilled to be an element of the Artemis missions and to deliver NASA’s first zero-emission built for mission crew transportation vehicles,” Tony Aquila, chairman and CEO of Canoo, said in a press release. “It’s a really proud day for Canoo and all of our partners who worked so hard to make sure we perform our part to move the astronauts for the primary nine miles of each launch.”
Videos courtesy of Canoo