Shenzhou Class

The Shenzhou-class surveyor is a well-equipped, modern starship designed for exploring planets on the edge of known space. Sharing a lineage with the Walker, Georgiou, and Lancelot classes, this class is named for the starship Shenzhou, which was lost at the Battle of the Binary Stars. Larger than other surveyor classes, the Shenzhou is fully prepared to defend itself and has excellent range, while also maintaining the ability to routinely travel within planetary atmospheres. As with the Walker, the Shenzhou is unique in that its bridge is located on the underside of the primary hull to offer command crews the ability to directly observe planetary phenomena.

Science and Exploration

Shenzhou-class starships are first and foremost designed as planetary surveyors. Their primary mission is to seek out and study habitable planets both for colonization purposes and to make contact with new civilizations. As such, their sensors and labs are optimized for studying lifeforms, geological formations, ancient ruins, among other things relevant to the study of planets. The primary sensor dome is mounted directly under the bridge and is capable of mapping a planet's surface with extreme precision. The long-range sensor array is mounted surrounding the deflector on the top of the saucer section and it is tuned to locating habitable planets at far-off distances. 24 sensor pallets are located just above the lower phaser array on the underside of the saucer, positioned for optimal angles to study planets or other objects below the ship.

With twice as many labs as a Nova-class surveyor, a Shenzhou won't necessarily complete a planetary survey faster than its smaller counterpart, but it can bring twice as many scientific perspectives to bear to allow for a richer and more complete picture of a world. Additional misson-configurable lab space is available for secondary mission teams, though there is far less of this space than on dedicated research cruisers.

The Shenzhou has a set of eight vertical launch tubes identical to the system found aboard Gagarin-class heavy escorts. This system is used to launch probes and exploratory drones, which are often used in the first phase of studying a new planet. Ships of this class carry the equipment to manufacture new probes, as well as small observation facilities such as the so-called "duck blind" bunkers used to observe pre-warp civilizations.

Shenzhou-class starships can carry enough supplies to sustain three-year charting missions without support, a significant improvement over the Nova. This makes it an excellent candidate for independent exploration missions.

Diplomacy

Engineering

Tactical

While classified as a surveyor, the Shenzhou is built with the realities of the frontier in mind and is well-armed. While the Gagarin is an escort-type vessel that can also serve in exploratory roles, a Shenzhou-class vessel is a science vessel that can serve as an escort in a pinch. Thirteen Type-XII phaser arrays are positioned around the hull for comprehensive coverage, while four Type-XII phaser cannons enhance the ship's forward firepower. Two of these cannons are located in the saucer section and two are located near the warp nacelles. The ship's arsenal is rounded out by four forward and two aft torpedo launchers. This comprehensive tactical array allows a Shenzhou-class ship to fight its way out of most situations on its own.

Shipboard Life

Shenzhou Class History

Shenzhou Class In-Play