Kwolek was a Starfleet shuttlecraft attached to the USS da Vinci. The Kwolek, along with the Shirley, replaced the da Vinci's two original shuttles, the Archimedes and the Franklin, which were destroyed in the atmosphere of Galvan VI in 2376. (SCE eBook: Ishtar Rising, Book 2)

Keith R.A. DeCandido has noted that the Kwolek was named for Stephanie Kwolek, the inventor of Kevlar.