Air taxis in Minnesota? MnDOT partners with NASA to examine future of aerial transport
A mockup of an air taxi from NASA. (Photo by NASA / Lillian Gipson and Kyle Jenkins)
(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced Friday it has forged a new partnership with NASA, as the federal agency puts a new focus on the next generation of air transportation.
MnDOT will work with NASA's Advanced Air Mobility mission to target opportunities in the state as advances in aerial technology makes new leaps.
The Advanced Air Mobility team was launched in 2019 with a focus on everything from drones capable of delivering packages to air taxis that could carry passengers.
MnDOT plans to work with local stakeholders across the state to figure out where these emerging technologies could provide valuable help and areas of concern. The partnership will start with five workshops hosted by NASA to discuss Advance Air Mobility.
MnDOT is one of five state or local government agencies participating in the workshops.
The goal of the new partnership is to determine the best way to use the new technologies in Minnesota and elsewhere while creating a framework for the best practices for new tech.
While this is all very exciting, as the new technologies are being perfected, it's unclear when we could see air taxis and other advanced aerial systems in Minnesota.