Oberth Class Starship Orthographic by ALProto on DeviantArt

The Galaxy class was initially planned to replace the Oberth class in service, but Starfleets recent move toward smaller starship designs has led to a stay of execution for the class. They are now expected to remain in service at least until the beginning of the next century.. The Oberth class was designed for 2 - 3 year length missions, following up probes or earlier missions by explorer class starships, studying phenomena in greater detail.

The Oberth-class is a science vessel by Starfleet. They have a very unusual structure, with two separate hulls connected by the nacelle pylons. The upper section contains the living quarters, bridge and science labs. While the bottom section contains the warp core and engineering.. The Oberth-class was a type of Federation starship in service in the 23rd and 24th centuries. It was used by both Starfleet and civilian institutions, mainly in the role of a Surveyor or science vessel. The class was named after 20th century German rocket pioneer Hermann OberthWP. (SA video game: Starfleet Academy Starship Bridge Simulator) The Oberth-class was introduced as early as the year.