Challenger (NX-03)

STARSHIP
Challenger
Class:	NX-class cruiser/light cruiser
Registry:	NX-03
Affiliation:	United Earth Starfleet (2150s), Federation Starfleet (2410s)
Commander:	Roy Dunsel
Launched:	August 2155
Status:	Destroyed (March 10, 2156) Active (2410)

The Challenger (NX-03) was a 22nd century United Earth starship, an NX-class cruiser in United Earth Starfleet service in the 2150s decade. The Romulans called it Ch'lenjer in their language. Its commanding officer was Captain Roy Dunsel. (ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru, ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

Service history and disposition

As of Thursday, May 22, 2155, Challenger was still under construction in the skies above San Francisco. On that date, while on an assignment to patrol Earth Cargo Service trade routes, Captain Jonathan Archer of Enterprise quipped whether he might be able to persuade Starfleet Command to rush Challenger into service, re-christening it Sisyphus, to take on his less than engaging mission. (ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru)

Challenger was launched around August 2155, alongside Discovery NX-04. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

This ship shares its registry with Excalibur (NX-03), which is also implicated to be the third NX-class ship built.

Sometime after, Challenger was part of a task force alongside Enterprise NX-01 and Columbia NX-02. The three ships left ion trails in a nebula as they soared towards Romulan space. At the time, Challenger was configured with a smaller deflector dish that matched the NX-01's, rather than the larger model of Columbia. (ST reference: Ships of the Line)

On March 10, 2156, it was destroyed in the Battle of Andoria, when Captain Roy Dunsel activated the ship's self-destruct and rammed the Romulan warbird ChR Dhivael in a successful effort to prevent it from attacking Andoria and take control of Challenger. All hands were lost. (ENT novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

With the relaunch of the NX- and Columbia-classes in the early 25th century, Challenger re-entered active duty in the year 2410. Challenger became the default representative for NX-class light cruisers in Starfleet's shipyards, including Earth Spacedock. (STO - Klingon War mission: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock")

It is unestablished if the new Challenger is a replica, reconstruction, or a version of the original that was never destroyed.

Crew manifest

• commanding officer:
  • Captain Roy Dunsel
• first officer:
  • Lieutenant Commander Estelle Granger
• tactical officer:
  • Lieutenant Rubin
• communications officer:
  • Ensign Hendricks
• helmsman:
  • Ensign Kaye