New helicopters for NASA

Airbus has proudly announced the delivery of two new H135 helicopters to the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 1 October 2020 *). The helicopters are registered N425NA (construction number 2073) and N435NA (construction number 2081).

A third H135 is expected early next year. The exact type is H135T3H, which is powered by two Saffran Arrius 2B2 turbo-shaft engines of 642 h.p. each and can accommodate 2 crew and six passengers.

All three helicopters will be based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will be operated for a variety of missions, including aerial security at rocket launches, emergency medical services, research, and qualified passenger transportation.

This month, October 2020, one of the H135s will escort the members of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to the historic launch pad at 39A, where it will depart for a six-month expedition to the ISS. The helicopters will also support efforts to prepare for and execute Artemis, a planned expedition to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024.

*) H135 for NASA: NASA orders three H135s

Photo: NASA