Nova class

The Nova class was a type of surveyor starship in service to the Federation Starfleet in the late 24th century.

The Nova class was originally planned as a future supplement or extension of the Galaxy-class explorer, with few of the military capabilities of the Galaxy, and become more of a dedicated research and exploration vessel. However, following the conclusion of the Federation-Cardassian War in the mid-2360s, Starfleet Command scrapped those initial plans and tasked the Nova Class Design Project with designing an as-yet-undetermined smaller design of starship.

Around that same time, the Advanced Starship Design Bureau were working on designs for the proposed Defiant-class warship, and several of the more traditional designs were rejected for various reasons. Fortunately, members of the Nova design team came across some of the shelved Defiant designs and realized that one of them, a small vessel with an arrow-shaped saucer section and two dorsal nacelle pylons, was perfect for the team's needs. With only the slightest modifications, the design was soon approved by Starfleet Command as the new Nova-class starship.

Due to the Nova-class' mission profile, they were equipped with some of the most advanced scientific systems, including dedicated biological and astronomical laboratories. However, the Novas had limited propulsion, weapons and crew support systems, making it unsuitable for long-duration missions. (Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet)

Its spaceframe was based on a design submitted by then Commander Gedna Tachion for the Defiant class in 2367. (Star Trek: Lionhearted: "New Orders")

Nova-class starships
Prototype: USS Nova
USS Aurora - USS Binary - USS Eclipse - USS Equinox - USS Explorer - USS Nova - USS Pulsar - USS Quasar - USS Solstice
Quebec subclass (2375): USS Quebec - USS Rhode Island
Cleared for Departure: USS Envoy - Dark Territory: USS Chevalier - Harry Potter and the Fountain of Possibilities: USS Jacqueline Dorsey
Last Unicorn Games: USS Aurora - USS Binary - USS Helix - USS K'shal - USS Nadir - USS Pulsar - USS Solstice - USS VanDenBroeck
Starfleet International: USS Cuchulain - USS Nomad - Starfleet: Special Ops: USS Mercury
Star Trek: Abandoned: USS Beltane - Star Trek Adventures: USS Fiat Lux - Star Trek: Crusader/Star Trek: Generation Fleet: USS Expedition - Star Trek: Dark Armada/Star Trek: Hidden Frontier: USS Batavia - USS Penumbra - USS Perihelion - Star Trek: Gibraltar: USS Chevalier - USS Sojourner - Star Trek: Immortal Coil: USS Blade - Star Trek: Parallels: USS Vitality - Star Trek: Pendragon: USS Silverlight - Star Trek: Phoenix-X: USS Shark - Star Trek: Pioneer: USS Pioneer - Star Trek: Pretoria: SS Kentaurus - Star Trek: Remington: USS New York - Star Trek: The Cantabrian Expeditions: USS Koru - Star Trek: The Nomad Frontier: USS Polaris
Trekmania: USS Alice Springs - USS Archon - USS Cepheid - USS Clarke - USS Corona - USS Cosmos - USS DeMorra - USS Florida - USS Gerrard - USS Havana - USS Hubble - USS Icarus - USS John Paul Jones - USS Kraken - USS Meridian - USS Partridge - USS Ranger - USS Solaris - USS Star - USS Stuttgart - USS Tuscany - USS Victoria - USS Wallsey - USS Zodiac

External links

• Nova class article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
• Nova class article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
• Nova-Class Starship Technical Manual