Under construction
Construction of Enterprise began on June 4, 1974 at the Rockwell International Space Division’s Orbiter Assembly Facility in Palmdale, California. The prototype vehicle lacked many features seen in the orbital versions, such as functional engines and a heat shield. Enterprise was a gigantic glider that cruised through Earth’s atmosphere, providing NASA with a platform for running atmospheric flight tests. An elongated nose probe mounted to the nose cap (a feature not seen on orbital versions) gathered airflow data.
