![]() This was Astra’s 4th attempt at reaching orbit and the 1st to be successful. ![]() STP-27AD2 is the second of two test launches for the Department of Defense (DoD) as part of the U.S. This makes Astra the 7th private launch provider to achieve orbit.Īstra launched the STP-27AD2 test payload on Rocket 3.3. The rocket took off from Launch Pad 3B, Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska at 06:16:00 UTC on November 20, 2021. – 115th orbital launch attempt of 2021 (108th successful)Īfter some minor hiccups and multiple holds, Astra has successfully launched their Rocket 3.3, designation LV0007, to orbit for the first time. The first stage crashed into the Pacific Oceanĭid they attempt to recover the fairings? To a 500km l ow Earth orbit (LEO) at 86° inclinationĭid they attempt to recover the first stage? Unknown, it is a non-deployable test payload Launch Pad 3B, Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska Which to some is all the reason they need.Featured image credit: Astra / John Kraus Lift off time But if you want to be the king of Top Trumps in the pub, this is the price you’ll have to pay. And you’ll need to save some pennies for fuel too, as it’ll down whatever fuel is in the 18-litre tank quickly if you’re liberal with the throttle. £19,500 for the Rocket 3 ‘R’, with the sledgehammer cruiser retailing at £20,200. It’s even got cruise control if you’re feeling really lazy.Ī lot. You just select one of the less aggressive riding modes, and given it’s got all the torque, you can select any of the top cogs in the six-speed gearbox and it effortlessly pulls through them. It’s actually incredibly comfortable to cruise on. You can blame the EU and their emissions regs for that.īut the Rocket – even in R form – is no one-trick pony. Because with an engine this size you want it to throb and scream, but it’s docile and soft. We just wish it’d sound better at all speeds. Then you quickly realise you don’t want to be thrown in jail. Numbers just start to roll around on the TFT speedo like you’ve won the jackpot. It’s a wild ride that never gets any less hilarious. Now imagine that ultra-responsive force being unleashed with a crack of throttle while you clutch your thighs around a tank completely exposed to the elements, while the induction noise underneath your gussets intensifies. Well, if you’ve ever been in an electric car that’s gunned it away from the lights, you’ve felt the curdling force of torque. But it’s the 163lb-ft of torque that blows you away… Again, this is helped by the fact Triumph lopped off a load of lard from the old engine, shedding 18kg and reducing the circulation mass, allowing for 7,000rpm to be unlocked and a new peak power figure of 164.7bhp – an 11 per cent increase over its forefather. But it's not. It wants to hit the twisties and move around. Looking at that engine you'd assume it’d be a straight-line torpedo that just wanted to fire itself at the horizon while you clung on and cried for help. It’s keener to turn than you’d think, too. But Triumph worked hard on it, giving the Rocket 3 an all-new frame made from two aluminium sections that are bolted around the engine, rather than welded so the central core is hollow, which allows Triumph to use the central spine of the bike as an airbox. This is largely thanks to clever weight distribution and my lack of understanding of physics. A bit like when a gym hardo has a gin and tonic and watches a rom-com. Which is even more people to point and laugh at you for dropping it in the first place.īut the almost magical element is that as soon as the tyres start rolling, it shrinks in size and its imposing nature falls away. Because if you’re anything but Popeye, if you drop this thing you’ll need a small army of helpers to help you get it back up. Being such a heffer, low-speed manoeuvring is a chore. ![]() The engine is hot and heavy and the wheelbase long. Intimidating at first, mainly because there’s so much of it. Then there’s a single-sided swing-arm with monoshock suspension and fantastic aluminium detailing littering the whole bike. Fitted with specially developed Avon Cobra Chrome tyres, the 240mm rear wheel width shows people you mean business and have oodles of torque to try and get down. It has a sort of industrial chic to it – with everything being big, brutalist and muscular but also softened off thanks to swooping curves and those sculpted triple-header exhausts.
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