Super Orbital Transport
Super Orbital Transport Rocket
Super Orbital Transport Launch
Parashute Dual Recovery
Flight Sequence

Super Orbital Transport

SKU: 007314
UPC: 047776073142
MSRP/MAP: $49.99
$49.99
Expert

The Estes Super Orbital Transport is back and better than ever! This updated version of a classic kit features ultra-realistic styling and dual recovery with a parachute and glider. With laser-cut wooden components and a construction jig for speedy and accurate assembly, this model is as easy to build as it is to launch. Launching up to 800 feet on a recommended Estes C or D engine, the Super Orbital Transport looks and flies like the real thing!

You'll need some basic tools and finishing supplies to build it, but the result is a spectacular rocket model with two sheets of detailed, three-color decals for an authentic look and feel. To launch, you'll need a Porta Pad II Launch Pad and Controller, 3/16" Maxi Launch Rod, Estes Model Rocket Engines, and Recovery Wadding. Don't miss out on this classic kit, perfect for rocket enthusiasts young and old!

  • SKILL LEVEL: The Super Orbital Transport is an Expert level kit intended for model rocketeers that have advanced building, finishing and model rocket launching skills.
  • RECOMMENDED ENGINES: C11-3, D12-5
  • PROJECTED ALTITUDE: 800 ft. (243 m) on a D12-5

Overview

The Estes Super Orbital Transport is an upsized redesign of a classic kit! Ultra-realistic styling and amazing parachute/glider dual recovery stand out among the rest. It includes laser-cut wooden parts and a construction jig to facilitate swift and precise assembly.

Two sheets of detailed, three-color decals complete the original look and feel of a future space liner. It launches up to 800 feet on a recommended Estes C or D engine. The Estes Super Orbital Transport looks like the real thing and flies like a dream!

The return of a classic! Initially, the original Estes Orbital Transport was a “must have” kit for a generation of rocketeers. Now, the new Estes Super Orbital Transport is here and ready to inspire a new generation!

The Estes model is inspired by the initial NASA designs for the Space Shuttle, which were intended to usher in a new era of routine and commercially-viable space travel.

The powerful booster rocket, designed to launch the passenger spacecraft into orbit, is modeled after supersonic airliners from that era. These imagined vehicles would land solely as aircraft, ready for reuse and relaunch with minimal turnaround.

New Great Features of Super Orbital Transport:

The new Estes Super Orbital transport is the bigger and updated version of the original kit. Re-engineered with laser-cut wood structural units, custom jigs to aid in accurate and speedy construction, a set of high-quality plastic nose cones, and two sheets of detailed, three-color decals to replicate the 1969 kit. This new model recreates the strikingly realistic look and feel of the original, only bigger!

Dazzling dual recoveries are the hallmark of the Estes Super Orbital Transport. Launches under the powerful thrust of the recommended Estes C or D engines are equally impressive! This model lifts off upright in the traditional rocket launch configuration. At the peak of flight, the piggy-back glider detaches and begins its winged decent while the booster section returns under its own 18 in. parachute.

The Super Orbital Transport is the Estes revival you don’t want to miss! Be part of the new tradition - build and fly this remarkable model today!

Estes Super Orbital Transport Model Rocket

What You Need to Fly

Estes Porta-Pad II Launch Pad and Electron Beam Launch Controller, 3/16 inch "Maxi" Launch Rod. Estes model rocket engines, starters and recovery wadding.
Four 1.5V high quality AA alkaline batteries (sold separately)

Technical Specifications

  • Recommended Engines

C11-3, D12-5
  • Launch System

Porta-Pad II
  • Projected Max Altitude

800 ft. (244 m)
  • Recovery System

18 in. (45.7 cm) Parachute
  • Length

31.3 in. (79.5 cm)
  • Diameter

1.33 in. (34 mm)
  • Weight

5.4 oz. (153 g)
  • Fin Material

Laser Cut Balsa Wood
Super Orbital Transport Rocket Flight Sequence

Needed to Build (sold separately)

Scissors, pencil, ruler, yellow glue, plastic cement, hobby knife, masking tape, sandpaper
This product recommended for children ages 10+ with adult supervision for those under 12, and rocketeers of all ages.

Customer Reviews

Based on 11 reviews
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C
Cloud Mike (Camarillo, CA)
Estes Super Orbital Transport – A Sad Impersonation of a Shuttle Legacy

Let’s be clear right out of the gate: Estes 007314 – the so-called Super Orbital Transport – is not a worthy successor to the original 1284 Space Shuttle kit. While the foam shuttle was already a disappointment, this abomination manages to disappoint in new ways. It’s not a tribute. It’s not a showpiece. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster of mismatched proportions and garish styling that insults the legacy it's trying to mimic.

Visually, this rocket is a complete eyesore. The lines are awkward. The body looks slapped together. And those wings? Cartoonishly oversized, as if the designers were actively trying to make the orbiter look as ridiculous as possible. The proportions are so off, it looks more like a rejected prototype from a forgotten sci-fi cartoon than anything that ever touched real-world aerospace design.

And let’s talk about the aesthetics. The color scheme? Uninspired. The detailing? Practically non-existent. This thing doesn’t belong on a display shelf — it belongs in a discount bin. It’s so visually unappealing that even the most forgiving hobbyist would hesitate to include it in their fleet.

Now, credit where it’s due — Estes did one thing right: they brought back the detachable glider concept, a nod to the original Space Shuttle orbiter’s glide recovery. That feature alone had promise, and for a brief second, you might get your hopes up. But once you see how poorly the execution matches the concept, the disappointment hits even harder.

This isn’t a case of “not as good as the original.” This is a case of not even playing the same game. The original 1284 was a build, a project, a collector's piece. This? It’s a novelty at best, and a visual insult at worst.

Bottom line: The Super Orbital Transport is not a replacement. It’s a placeholder. If you care about accuracy, scale, or aesthetics — skip it. This model might fly, but it completely misses the mark.

r
russell carrington (Lynchburg, VA)
Good deal

Lot of fun

D
David Wong (Windsor Locks, CT)
Orbital Transport

I like this newer kit. It is just as challenging as the older kit but a little bigger. Although I haven’t built it yet, I hope she flys as well as the older kit