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Canoo have to be doing one thing proper — it has achieved an awesome job touchdown notable US authorities contracts, which is rarely straightforward to do. We reported on the U.S. Division of Protection (DOD) ordering Canoo electrical autos again in December and February. Just a few days in the past, I wrote that the partnership with the DOD was already increasing. Now we even have information that Canoo has landed a contract with NASA.

Canoo not too long ago delivered three Crew Transportation Automobiles (CTVs) to NASA’s Kennedy House Heart in Florida. “These autos will transport the astronauts to the launch pad for the Artemis lunar missions,” the corporate writes.

How cool do they give the impression of being?

“We’re thrilled to be part of the Artemis missions and to ship NASA’s first zero-emission constructed for mission crew transportation autos,” says Tony Aquila, Chairman and CEO, Canoo. “It’s a really proud day for Canoo and all of our companions who labored so onerous to make sure we carry out our half to move the astronauts for the primary 9 miles of each launch.”

Now, let’s be trustworthy — this isn’t essentially the most rigorous transportation service requirement. The Canoo EVs don’t must drive on the moon or throughout a desert. They’re transporting astronauts 9 miles. (Now that I give it some thought, I’m curious what they do the remainder of the time.) It’s extra of a stupendous advertising and marketing alternative than the rest (which once more makes me marvel what connections the Canoo management group has). Nevertheless, it does include some specialised wants and circumstances.

“The CTVs are engineered to hold absolutely suited astronauts, flight help crew, and tools to the launch pad,” the corporate writes. “The autos have an unique inside and exterior design that can present astronaut and crew consolation and security whereas on the nine-mile journey to the launch pad at Kennedy House Heart.” The pictures above are simply computer-generated visualizations. Canoo will present precise inside and exterior photos of the CTVs later this yr.

What’s Artemis II, by the best way? Good query — for these of us who don’t observe house information intently, that’s in all probability a little bit of a thriller. Right here’s the reply, through Canoo: “The Artemis II is the primary crewed mission that’s a part of NASA’s plan to ascertain a long-term presence on the Moon for science and exploration. The ten-day flight will take a look at NASA’s foundational human deep house exploration capabilities, the House Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the primary time with astronauts.”

Naturally, as cool as it’s that Canoo EVs will transport NASA astronauts 9 miles to the Kennedy House Heart, it’s possible they are going to bear in mind their subsequent car a lot better. The spaceship they are going to journey in might want to journey greater than 240,000 miles to the moon.

I do not like paywalls. You do not like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Right here at CleanTechnica, we applied a restricted paywall for some time, but it surely at all times felt improper — and it was at all times robust to resolve what we should always put behind there. In principle, your most unique and finest content material goes behind a paywall. However then fewer folks learn it! We simply don’t love paywalls, and so we have determined to ditch ours.

Sadly, the media enterprise continues to be a troublesome, cut-throat enterprise with tiny margins. It is a endless Olympic problem to remain above water and even maybe — gasp — develop. So …