Discovery class

History
The Discovery-class was inspired by the unscheduled journey through the Delta Quadrant undertaken by the USS Voyager in the 2370s, which made the Intrepid-class the gold standard for deep space explorer starships.

The Discovery-class entered service in 2379 With the launch of the class prototype USS Discovery (NX-85527).

Technical data
The Discovery-class was designed primarily for exploration and incorporated increased science capacity and laboratories designed for crew members to put experiments into stasis during emergencies without loss of data.

The designers the warp coil energy transfer rate as compared to Intrepid-class, resulting in a 7% reduction in energy loss. The improved design also incorporated warp foils that extended while the ship was in warp configuration, designed to increase stability at high warp. The Starfleet Corps of Engineers considered the design a testbed and would be studying the foils' effectiveness over the long term before making a recommendation on whether they would be used in future vessels of the class and other starship designs.

The class had less firepower than an escort, but it had a technological advantage over most enemies, with improved sensor arrays and targeting sensors ideal for tracking small targets or targeting subsystems such as impulse engines or deflector shields. The tractor beam could be used to hold an enemy in place for sustained attacks, and the deflector array could transfer energy to other vessels or dissipate an enemy tractor beam.

The ship also featured holoemitters for holographic crew, improved navigation sensors, a dilithium matrix modified to increase the length of time the ship could run on a damaged dilithium crystal, and an astrometrics laboratory.

Known vessels

 * USS Discovery (NX-85527)