Nova class

The Nova class was a small type of Federation starship placed into service in the 2360s.

Technical data
The class was designed for use as a science and scout vessel to replace the older Oberth class. Ships of the type were commonly assigned to planetary research and analysis missions.

Novas had a maximum speed of warp 8 and carried approximately eighty crewmembers. Like most starships, the Nova was equipped with deflector shields, however, the Nova's shields could recharge after only 45 seconds. The Nova also had 2 shuttle bays, each containing one shuttle, and 20 escape pods, all on the primary hull. Additional shuttlecraft, like other equipment, were sometimes assigned as needed for certain mission profiles.

The Nova class was not typically suitable for combat operations, though some saw service in the Dominion War and other conflicts as necessary. However, the Nova was equipped to defend itself when necessary, with 11 phaser arrays and 3 photon torpedo launchers.

The class bore some similarities in design to its contemporary, the Intrepid class. Like the Intrepid, including the ability to land on planet surfaces and withstand an atmosphere for a long period of time. To that end, four landing struts were located on the secondary hull. Another unique feature of the Nova-class was its Waverider shuttle, similar to the Aeroshuttle of the Intrepid class, located in a special docking port on the ventral side of the primary hull. The Waverider lacked both impulse and warp engines, and was instead designed solely for operating within a planet's atmosphere when a mission required landing on the surface of a planet whose atmospheric conditions made it too hazardous to use transporters or traditional shuttlecraft.

Commissioned vessels

 * USS Pioneer (NCC-73409) (launched 2367)
 * USS Equinox (NCC-72381) (launched 2370)
 * USS Tesla (NCC-58312) (launched 2372)