There have been several shuttlecraft named Copernicus in service with Starfleet aboard ships named USS Enterprise.
- Named for the 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
Shuttlecraft Copernicus
This Copernicus was a shuttlecraft aboard the USS Enterprise in 2269.
On stardate 4187.3 the Copernicus was used by Spock, Sulu and Uhura to transfer a Slaver stasis box, discovered on the planet Kzin to Starbase 25.
En route, they detected a second Slaver stasis box in Beta Lyrae. Upon setting down on an ice bound planet in the Beta Lyrae system, they were taken hostage by the Kzinti. The Kzinti, who possessed a second, empty, stasis box, lured the Copernicus to Beta Lyrae to steal the first stasis box. (TAS: "The Slaver Weapon")
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
Another Copernicus, Shuttlecraft 3 aboard the USS Enterprise-A, was in service shortly following the ship's commissioning and shared the same basic design as the Galileo 5, also assigned to the Enterprise.
It was present during the Enterprise's mission to rescue the Nimbus III hostages and subsequent hijacking by Sybok in 2287. The Copernicus was used by Sybok, Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, and Doctor Leonard McCoy to journey to the surface of Sha Ka Ree because the Enterprise transporters were still non-operational. The shuttle was later disabled by the malevolent creature inhabiting the planet. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
- It was never made clear whether or not the Copernicus was retrieved following the destruction of the god entity.