Research for Communication Satellites

Desert Storm highlighted the need to improve our capability to transmit large volumes of digital imagery to afloat commanders. Project Challenge Athena I demonstrated the usefulness of commercial wideband satellites for delivering primary imagery products to an afloat unit. Project Challenge Athena II extended the concept to an operational environment. This demonstration used a duplex, high-volume commercial satellite to provide imagery and other services to the GEORGE WASHINGTON Battle Group during its 1994 Mediterranean/Persian Gulf deployment. This annotated briefing presents the results from Challenge Athena II.