Class History

In the late 24th century, on the eve of what was going to be one of the darkest times in Starfleet's long and decorated history, a briefing was put out for a new generation of long-range exploration oriented starships. Even though the briefing was not for a ship specifically built for combat, it was to also be able to defend itself in times of need much like the Constitution class explorer in the prior century. Its primary mission was going to be long-range and long-term multipurpose exploration in uncharted space. Thus, the Luna Class Development Project was initiated in 2369 and originally pushed forward because of the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole.

Originally the Luna Class was to explore the Gamma Quadrant and the vessel was armed accordingly. The new quantum torpedoes and the most powerful phaser arrays available were added to the design. The project was spearheaded by Dr. (Commander) Xin Ra-Havreil, a theoretical engineer at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. Field testing of the USS Luna, the prototype, began in 2372 in the Alpha Quadrant with production to pick up shortly after. However, contact with the Dominion stopped the project cold as resources were allocated to more combat-oriented designs.

After the Dominion War was over in 2375, Dr. Ra-Havreil correctly judged that the Federation would slowly revert back to her peaceful exploration of the cosmos. Because of this, she went back to try and push the Luna Class Development Project ahead once again. The initial design was revisited and update with the newest advancements in technology for a ship of her class. Even though the original primary mission was going to be advanced exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, the Luna Class ships instead became the main exploratory vessel for Starfleet.

The original run of 12 vessels was completed by the end of 2379, with an additional 3 vessels added and completed by the end of 2381.

When launched, the Luna Class explorers either included, or improved upon the latest in Starfleet technology when it came to exploration and scientific advancement. Not including the latest advancements in warp propulsion, impulse propulsion, and computer interfaces and technology, the Luna Class also employed a dedicated senor pod housed above the main part of the ship. Thanks to the advances and adjustments made to her warp drive, the Luna Class of starships is an extremely fast and has incredible endurance for a ship of her size. Even though not primarily a combat vessel, a Luna Class starship carries the Type XII phaser arrays as well as two to four torpedo launchers capable of firing the complete range of torpedoes available in Starfleet.

In a departure from some contemporary designs, the Luna Class only has one shuttlebay, and that is at the extreme aft. The shuttlebay houses the usual assortment of shuttles and runabouts for scientific as well as cargo applications. There is also a mid-sized Captain's Skiff similar to the type used aboard the Sovereign class starships. It is located directly in front of the main deflector dish, on the saucer section and is always at the commanding officer's disposal.

The most distinguishable item of the Luna Class is her unmanned sensor pod. Much akin to the swappable "pods" used on other Starfleet vessels, a Luna Class vessel houses a good portion of her advanced sensors and scientific equipment in an unmanned sensor pod. This increases sensor range, sensor resolution, and sensor accuracy in every way while also allowing more usable space for science labs and living space aboard the main portion of the vessel. The sensor pod on Luna Class vessels is not easily swappable and requires the support of a starbase or repair facility if major changes are to be made. The sensor pod also houses three dedicated probe launchers and is used as a test bed for new probe technologies and ideas.

The Luna Class has been developed to be the Constitution Class for the late 24th and early 25th centuries