The Type 17 Shuttlepod came into limited service in the mid 2360's. Designed as a faster and more manoeuvrable counterpart to the Type 15 and 16 shuttlepods, the cost of manufacturing the craft was too high when compared to the cheaper, less capable Type 15's. The small craft's potential was re-examined in the early 2380's however when design flaws in the warp capabilities of the aging Type 16 were discovered following a series of accidents. The need for new warp capable shuttlepods was apparent because the Type 15's were also starting to reach the limits of their usefulness, so the Type 17 program was reinstated and production of an improved version of the class resumed.