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Originally conceived as a deep-space Explorer and Reconnaissance Vessel in the early 2380s, the Vesta-class was beset by technical issues and ultimately suspended as the First General War loomed. The project was revived as part of the [[Fleet Modernization Program]] in 2417, intended to supplement the new [[Beckett Class Star Cruiser|Beckett Class]] and replace the ageing and increasingly maintenance-heavy [[Avenger Class Heavy Cruiser|Avenger]] and [[Zeus Class Light Cruiser|Zeus]] classes as a middleweight explorer that combined the strengths of both vessels and go some way to negate the glaring weaknesses in the previous design; which had been built as warships first, and explorers second.
The earliest ships in the class would also serve as testbeds for new technologies, including Holographic Displays, a [[Multidimensional Wave-function Analysis Module]], and [[Quantum Slipstream Drive]]; the latter having finally been deemed viable forty years following the concept's initial transmission from the ill-fated USS Voyager. The Vesta-class also boats an expansive Shuttlebay, capable of holding eight Shuttles and a Runabout, with an expanded area to the rear for the vessel's [[Seleya Class|Captain's Yacht]].
Like the Beckett-class, the Vesta-class differed from its forebears by returning to a predominantly Array-based Phaser system, creating greater coverage of fire. The number of Torpedo Launchers was reduced to four, but technological advances allowed these tubes to rapid-fire torpedoes rather than being forced to risk "stacking" them in the launch chamber. The final addition was the inclusion of two Type-G cannons in the ship's bow, the multi-function weapons enabling the ship to destroy incoming torpedoes, while also granting it the firepower to punch through any blockade with ease.
