Hadrian-class command shuttle

The Hadrian-class command shuttle are a line of small, short-ranged personnel shuttles used by the UNSC Navy. The class was formally decommissioned after the end of the Human-Covenant War, though a number remained in secondary roles or were converted into scientific vessels.

Sagan-class scientific support vessel
Created to give a new lease of life on serviceable command shuttles, the Sagan-class scientific support vessel (hull classification symbol: AGR) are a modified design used for short-term scientific research in the field. They are usually staffed by civilian researchers, though a UNSC security team can be accommodated as well. Like the Hadrian-class, they are not equipped with slipspace drives, though this is to restrict any outbreaks to the immediate area where the science pod is lost. Two radiation-shielded, multipurpose rooms are installed, which can be easily converted into storage bays for sensitive equipment or laboratories. An ultra-secure point-to-point communications array keeps the crew in contact with their mothership, which is generally a cruiser of some description.

The Sagan-class performs roles such as investigating possible anomalies, retrieving geological or biological samples, gathering telemetry with their specialized instruments, etc. During the later years of the Covenant War, they would be used increasingly to study Covenant technology scavenged in the field, and after the war they would also see use in the preliminary handling of Forerunner artifacts where encountered.

While they are generally used for ferrying scientists and their instruments between the mothership and any research sites, there is the possibility that these shuttles may come into contact with some dangerous phenomena or hostile force. For this reason, strict protocols are maintained. Until the crew can determine that the artifact is harmless or what dangers it is capable of, it must maintain an exclusion zone from their mothership, and all hazardous materials must be kept in containers with faraday cages. Extra protection systems may be used, and these use an uninterrupted power supply provided by the science vessel. If possible, any study should take place off the ship in specifically-prepared sites.

Sagan-class vessels are named after themes related to historical scientists and references to popular scientific concepts.