What Is Project Enigma? Project Enigma is an initiative that links contractor development environments directly to a government-hosted digital platform to support the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications—or ESS—system. ESS is positioned succeed the Advanced Extremely High Frequency constellation as the nation’s strategic satellite communications backbone, designed to deliver enduring and survivable service. How Has Project Enigma Helped the ESS System? According to LoNigro, Project Enigma is driving forward the digital engineering effort behind the ESS system by solving a persistent problem: how to collaborate securely across organizational boundaries.