What is the name of the Federation starship commanded by Captain Kirk?

The Federation starship commanded by Captain Kirk is the USS Enterprise.

More precisely, Kirk commands the Constitution-class USS Enterprise, registry NCC-1701, throughout Star Trek: The Original Series. The ship serves as the setting for the crew’s five-year mission to explore space, investigate strange phenomena, and encounter new civilizations.

The Enterprise was designed by Matt Jefferies, whose saucer-shaped primary hull, secondary hull, and twin warp nacelles became one of science fiction’s most recognizable spacecraft designs. In the series’ fictional history, it was launched in 2245 and had previously been commanded by Robert April and Christopher Pike.

A common mix-up is confusing this vessel with later ships named Enterprise, including the refitted NCC-1701 and the Enterprise-A. The USS Excelsior, USS Defiant, and USS Voyager are also famous Starfleet ships, but none is Kirk’s original command in the classic series.