"nova" began as a plug-in for "escape velocity override" in july 1998. two years later, atmos was brought in to convert the plug-in to a full game which was available for beta-testing on july 15, 2001. it was fully released on march 18, 2002. developers no longer work on the project nor does the website currently give out keys required to activate shareware copies. direct contact with ambrosia software was not possible as of january, 2018 for billing and account services. existing copies still function normally and re-installation is possible with automatic key renewal. ev nova alternative "endless sky" exists now on the steam platform with an alternate story line but similar mechanics.