2019 Chevy Corvette C7 Final Edition Helps Reveal Stratos IV Rocket
Photo: General Motors
A 2019 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Final Edition played a key part in the unveiling of the Stratos IV rocket at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands earlier this month. The massive rocket, which will launch from the Denel Overberg Test Range in South Africa next summer, was strapped to the roof of a Corvette C7 by the university’s Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering for its public reveal. DARE, one of the world’s foremost student rocketry teams, selected the Corvette because of its unique significance in the history of aerospace travel.
Going Head to Head: How the new Chevrolet Silverado stacks up against the competition
Among the many achievements the Chevrolet Corvette has amassed over its lifespan is the unofficial title of “car of choice” for astronauts in the 1960s and ’70s. A key factor contributing to this legacy was Chevrolet offering $1 annual leasing fees to astronauts, allowing them to around compliance rules that forbade them from accepting free gifts. This made the high-powered, sexy sports car an even more appealing option for the brave men and women who have gone where so few others have.
Nowhere was this clearer than with Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, and Dick Gordon of the Apollo 12 mission, which launched 50 years ago. The three astronauts were famously pictured sitting on the roofs of their 1969 Chevrolet Corvettes, helping establish the ‘Vette as the must-have sports coupe of the decade.
Set to launch in summer 2020, the Stratos IV will be the first Dutch rocket in space and the first student rocket to surpass the Kármán line and achieve over 62 miles of altitude.
Chevrolet Innovation: New Durabed makes the Silverado the must-have pickup for those who work hard on Earth
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.