(covers information from several alternate timelines)
The NX type escape pod was a type of emergency escape craft installed aboard NX class starships in the 22nd century.
In 2151, a Tesnian starship collided with Enterprise NX-01 during a docking attempt, causing debris from Enterprise's launch bay doors to scatter across an asteroid. When Commander Charles Tucker and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed came across the debris on their return from a survey mission, they assumed the entire ship had been destroyed. Reed noted the lifeboats only had a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour so it was unlikely there were any survivors. (ENT: "Shuttlepod One")
In 2155 of the mirror universe, the ISS Enterprise was forced to launch its escape pods after being caught in a Tholian web during a battle with Tholian ships. The Tholians subsequently destroyed the Enterprise and many of its fleeing escape pods before being driven off by the USS Defiant. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")