GNY-001 Gundam Astraea

GNY-001 Gundam Astraea (aka Gundam Astraea, Astraea) is a 2nd generation prototype Gundam in the side story of Mobile Suit Gundam 00P. It is piloted by Ruido Resonance. The Astraea was later upgraded by Fereshte into the GNY-001F Gundam Astraea Type F and later the GNY-001F2 Gundam Astraea Type F2.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Gundam Astraea is the successor unit to GN-000 0 Gundam and predecessor to GN-001 Gundam Exia; a intermediary design and 2nd generation prototype Gundam. The unit was designed and developed by Celestial Being's (CB's) Krung Thep (later transferred to Fereshte) engineering team. It was a testbed for a number of experimental technologies (primarily in GN-weapons development) incorporated in pursuit of a greater combat performance and utility. While Astraea was not a specialized combat unit, the prototype helped fine-tune many weapons found in all future generation MSs. Of the four prototypes produced, Astraea's design and purpose mirrors closely to 0 Gundam; a general-purpose combat MS.

The Krung Thep team developed Astraea to be a adaptable and versatile combat MS. As a testbed for experimental technologies, CB engineers created a series of prototype weapons from GN Blades to GN Rifles to refine particle weapons development. Because of the wide range weapons developed for Astraea, it can easily be reconfigured to become a close combat-type, heavy assault-type or a combined variation with its assortment of equipment; its the reason why classifying Astraea can't be specified.

The GN Drive control mechanism differs from that of 0 Gundam and its benchmarks are both in higher output and higher instabilities. Astraea uses a hybrid design between hollow composite armor and particle cables for particle distribution. The two ear-like protrusions that extend backwards from the sides of the head structure appear to be a design feature unique to the Astraea, but their purpose is thus far unknown. Although Astraea contained the Trans-Am System, the black box within Astraea was yet to be activated and remained a hidden feature until the events of AD 2307. After CB engineers gathered enough data on Astraea, its technical and combat data was used to develop GN-001 Gundam Exia; however, CB engineers were not finished with Astraea either.

Because the unit still had tactical value, Astraea was transferred to the Fereshte team. Assigned as part of a black-ops support team, consisting of the 2nd generation Gundams, Fereshte redeveloped Astraea. It's overall system and combat capabilities was enhanced, its face masked, given a red paint job, and was re-classified as GNY-001F Gundam Astraea Type F.

Armaments

 * GN Beam Rifle
 * A standard GN beam rifle. In order to improve firing rate and reduce the chances disruption due to shortage of power, it was equipped with an internal GN Condenser and is one of the earliest weapons that did so.


 * GN Launcher
 * Astraea's most powerful weapon. When it was in its early stages testing, the weapon was slightly unstable in its particle control/output. It is equipped by removing one of Astraea's neck clevical antennas and it sources its particles directly through this connection. More than one can be equipped as an option such as a double mode and a quad mode. The data from this weapon was used in the development of Gundam Virtue's GN Bazooka weapon.


 * Double GN Launcher
 * A configuration whereby two GN Launchers was used at the same time.


 * Quad Cannon
 * An experimental configuration whereby four GN Launchers was used at the same time to create a certain effect. The theory was that when different streams are combined ome, the total output of the converged beam would be much greater. The test was conducted in space with an asteroid as the target after Veda's approval was given. The data collected was eventually used in the development of the 3rd Generation GN-005 Gundam Virtue.


 * Proto GN Sword
 * The Astraea is armed with a Proto GN Sword, that can be vertically folded along the forearm like Exia's GN Sword. As it's name suggests it's a prototype to Exia's GN Sword, and is the first GN partical-lined physical blade created by Celestial Being. Even at the time of the construction of this weapon, it has already been planned for a rifle function to be included and the "Proto" part of the name refer to the incompleteness of the weapon as its still in development.


 * GN Beam Saber
 * The Astraea is armed with two beam sabers, docked behind either side of the waist. As the weapons themselves are test types, their performance versus the Exia's beam sabers is unknown as of this time.


 * GN Sword Test Version
 * An early experimental test version of the GN Sword that was eventually used on the GN-001 Gundam Exia.

Variants

 * GNY-001F Gundam Astraea Type F
 * GNY-001FB Black Gundam Astraea Type F
 * GNY-001/hs-A01D Gundam Avalanche Astraea`

History
The story is that as HRL’s battleship has gotten closer to CB’s Colony Krung Thep, 874 is gathering intelligence using the Sadalsuud, Ruido comes out in the Astrea to intercept. The instruction that came from Veda was “Defeat”. Here, Ruido in the Gundam starts attacking the person.

Later on, the second generation Gundam Meister arrived in a transport aircraft on a battlefield. Four HRL MS “Phantom”s against the Gundam Meister 874’s Gundam Sadalsuud fight a one-sided battle that ends in 36 seconds. Ruido in Astraea shoots down the first Hellion Platoon that was examining the AEU’s Orbital Elevator. In addition, 874 who intercepts in Sadalsuud, sees the shadow of an approaching aircraft and proposes that Ruido does a check. Ruido sorties in the Astraea in place of the injured Marlene. Ruido does not want Marlene to go out into the battlefield. If he was fighting very well, then there’s no need for her to go out into the battlefield. Ruido exterminates the Hellion force through Astraea.

When the primary Celestial Being team began their armed interventions, the Fereshte team was given the green light to use the four second generation Gundams and the original solar reactor in shadow interventions in order to aid Celestial Being's own openly conducted interventions. However because of the Plan, it couldn't be revealed that there were more Gundams aside from those conducted openly by the primary team. To disguise Astraea's true nature it was repainted and fixed with a mask, and operated under the orders of leaving zero eye witnesses. This version of Astraea was designated GNY-001F Gundam Astraea Type F.

Notes & Trivia

 * The unit name derives from the goddess Astraea, who is associated with the card Justice -- one of the twenty-two Major Arcana in the Tarot. The other Gundam test-types follow this naming theme.