Multi-mission explorer

The multi-mission explorer was a multi-purpose starship type developed by Federation Starfleet in the late 2370s. Its first iteration, the, entered Starfleet service in the year 2380. The class was designated a multi-mission explorer and was test-bed for a number of experimental technologies, including quantum slipstream drive. In the early 25th century, Starfleet developed sister classes as part of the Vesta line, and defined subtypes of the multi-mission explorer as the reconnaissance, surveillance and strategic multi-mission explorer. 

History and specifications
By February 2381, seven Vesta-class starships were in service They were the only capital starships equipped with quantum slipstream drive. USS Aventine, under the command of Captain Ezri Dax, was instrumental in saving the galaxy from annihilation at the hands of the Borg Collective during the Borg Invasion of 2381. 

Later that year, two more Vesta-class multi-mission explorers were assigned to Project Full Circle, a mission to explore the Delta Quadrant. USS Vesta became the flagship of the Full Circle fleet in early 2382. 

In 2409, Starfleet launched two sister ship classes, and, to complement the Vesta. Each class was a multi-mission explorer with its own specializing, reflected in bridge officer and console allocation. The Vesta-line classes were considered science vessels with battleship and carrier capabilities. Vesta-line ships were a match for the Federation battleship.

In addition, the three ship classes were built to be modular, allowing their commanding officer to exchange components between any of them. Each multi-mission explorer was equipped with a hangar bay, allowing a Vesta-line ship to command up to four simultaneously. The squadron would aid the explorer in combat.

Additional in-built abilities included feedback pulse, a photonic shockwave torpedo launcher, multidimensional graviton shielding, fermion field, subsystem targeting, sensor analysis and a quantum field focus phaser array. In addition, the Vesta-line starships were equipped with an advanced QSD. The minimum rank required to command a multi-mission explorer in the 25th century was vice admiral. 

Subtypes

 * Multi-mission reconnaissance explorer:


 * Multi-mission strategic explorer:


 * Multi-mission surveillance explorer: