What vehicles will take astronauts to launch pad? NASA changes transport for first time in 40 years (PHOTOS)

NASA has changed its vehicles for the first time in 40 years. The agency recently received three Canoo electric vehicles, specially designed to carry astronauts to the launch pad before flights to the Moon and, in the future, to Mars.

NASA specialists also participated in the design of these new electric cars; they helped with the choice of interior and exterior markings, colors, and even wheel arches. In addition, these vehicles are designed in such a way that it is convenient for astronauts to be in them with spacesuits.

Three such electric vehicles will be able to carry four astronauts and support personnel, including the equipment considered part of the spacesuits. These vehicles will be able to transport specialized equipment, too.

For now, the new vehicles will be used for astronaut training at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And in November 2024, the Canoo vehicles will bring astrohttps://tech.news.am/eng/news/1080/which-astronauts-to-orbit-moon-in-2024-as-part-of-artemis-ii-nasa-announces-their-names.htmlnauts to the launch pad as part of the Artemis II mission, during which they will orbit the Moon and return to Earth in ten days.

These new electric cars will replace the Astrovans; they are a modified version of the Airstream garage that NASA has been using since 1984.

In December 2022, NASA's Artemis I mission was successfully completed and the Orion spacecraft landed in the Pacific Ocean.

As part of the second phase of this mission, the astronauts will orbit the Moon and return to Earth. Artemis II will be the first manned mission beyond Earth’s orbit since Apollo 17, the last to land on the Moon in December 1972.

And during the third phase, the Artemis III mission, astronauts will land on the surface of the Moon; this is expected no earlier than December 2025. Until then, the lunar lander of SpaceX's Starship Human Landing System and the new lunar spacesuits of Axiom Space shall be tested.