Since we now know that not only is the Krait Phantom coming in 3.3 but other new ships as well, I wonder how much the roster of ship choices will change between today and expedition start? It’s a good bet at least one new ship in 3.3 will be tailored towards exploration.
Not only the Krait Phantom, but also a Mamba. But if the new Mamba is closer to the original (the Krait wasn't), it'll be a fairly lightweight and fast smuggler/racer/fighter.
I've come back to the Bubble primarily to start outfitting. I had pretty much decided on a Krait Mk II, primarily because of the SLF. Before that I was seriously considering a Python. Sick and tired of the AspX cockpit (even though it's tough to rival the view!), and the Krait cockpit is actually similar. I really don't like these industrial cockpits so much. With the announcement of new ships coming, I'm going to see whether there'll be a new exploration-friendly ship on the market, although if there is, I daresay it'll be very popular.
I'm also not convinced the SLF will add all that much to the exploration shenanigans since you can't dismiss your ship while you're flying it. So maybe I'll see-saw back to a Python before we leave if the new ships aren't compelling enough. At least engineering for the Krait is pretty much the same as engineering for the Python..