SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- ELECTRIC PROPULSION FOR THE IN-SPACE PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT
- Notice Date
- 4/4/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135
- ZIP Code
- 44135
- Solicitation Number
- NNC12ZMX023L
- Response Due
- 5/23/2012
- Archive Date
- 4/4/2013
- Point of Contact
- Timothy D Smith, Engineer/Project Manager, Phone 216-977-7546, Fax 216-433-8000, Email timothy.d.smith@nasa.gov - Ernest C. Mensurati, Contracting Officer, Phone 216-433-2727, Fax 216-433-2480, Email Ernest.C.Mensurati@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Timothy D Smith
(timothy.d.smith@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This notice is issued by the NASA Glenn Research Center to post a Request forInformation (RFI) via the internet, and solicit responses from interested parties. Thisdocument is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunityto verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promotecompetition. When responding, please reference the RFI Number.The objective of this project is to develop an integrated electric propulsion system toTRL 6 that demonstrates the combination of thrust, specific impulse, and efficiencyrequired for human exploration architectures and a possible technology demonstrationmission to begin as early as 2018. The system shall include the thruster,power-processing unit (PPU), propellant feed system, and digital control interface unit(which may be incorporated into the PPU). The proposed system shall offer advantages at asystem level over state-of-the-art flight systems, specifically focused on higher powerand higher efficiency.NASA is particularly interested in system development approachesthat leverage prior technology investments and heritage solutions as means of reducingdevelopment time, cost and risks. To better understand these factors any cost, schedule,or technology risks to providing the requested system should be clearly identified.The project must include sufficient testing to show compliance with the requested systemspecifications as listed below. The relevant environment as defined for the TRL 6assessment may include those encountered anywhere from low Earth orbit (LEO) all the wayto heliocentric space. Since candidate missions may include spiraling out through thehigh radiation environment of the Van Allen belts radiation tolerance is also requested.At a minimum a TRL 6 assessment shall include component environmental tests showing therequired functionality and environmental compatibility and an integrated propulsionsystem functional test in a suitable space simulation chamber. The top-level specifications for the requested system are:Electrical characteristics: System input power in excess of 10kW (as measured at the PPU input) with a ≥12kW goal. PPU compatible with a primary power input at 170VDC 10% and a secondary power input(if needed) at 28VDC 15%. The PPU efficiency in the identified input voltage range above and reducing PPUcomplexity/cost are the primary parameters of interest. Additional flexibility on the PPU input voltage is recognized as beneficial and anyoptions available that could meet the goals without significant cost and schedule impactsshould be discussed Conducted and radiated emissions compatible with MIL-STD-461EPerformance & lifetime characteristics: The system should be capable of providing thrust at a specific impulse ofapproximately 2000 seconds with a total system efficiency of ≥0.60 at full power. System throttle-ability is recognized as beneficial below the full-power operatingpoint and should be discussed in regards to capability and performance at lower powerlevels and higher specific impulses. The system should be capable of full power continuous operation for ≥ 10,000hours. The system should be capable of a minimum of 5,000 on/off cycles. Thermal characteristics: The thruster should be able to operate at steady state under full power with anadiabatic thermal mounting interface. The PPU should be capable of operating over its entire operating range of inputs andoutputs in all anticipated space environments while mounted to a temperature controlledbase plate anywhere between -20˚C to 50˚C.Telemetry and control: The system should be compatible with a MIL-STD-1553 data bus control interface. The system should provide sufficient telemetry outputs to permit health and statusmonitoring. Mechanical characteristics: The system should be compatible with the following launch, ascent, and on-orbitenvironments: Static and dynamic loads Thermal environments EMI/EMC environments Vibration environments (sine and random vibration) Vibroacoustic environments (acoustic induced vibration environments) Shock environments (pyrotechnic and mechanically induced shock)Definition of NASA Technology Readiness LevelTRL 6 Definition: System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevantenvironment.Hardware Description: A high-fidelity system/component prototype that adequatelyaddresses all critical scaling issues is built and operated in a relevant environment todemonstrate operations under critical environmental conditions.Exit Criteria: Documented test performance demonstrating agreement with analyticalpredictions.PURPOSE OF RFIThe information obtained may be used by NASA for planning and acquisition strategydevelopment. NASA may use the information obtained as a result of this RFI on anon-attribution basis. No information or questions received will be posted to any websiteor public access location. NASA does not plan to respond to the individual responses, butwill provide an update to development and acquisition plans.The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or tootherwise pay for the information solicited. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses tothis notice are not considered offers, shall not be used as a proposal, and cannot beaccepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Inputs shall be compliant with alllegal and regulatory requirements concerning limitations on export controlled items. Tothe full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and otherlaws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as 'Proprietary orConfidential' will be kept confidential.RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONSResponses must be submitted electronically to the NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com)web site. All respondents are required to register with NSPIRES first, and are urged toaccess this site well in advance of the due date to familiarize themselves with itsstructure and enter the requested identifier information. This data site is secure andall information entered is strictly for NASA use only.The requirements of this RFI shall be addressed in written format, and the document shallbe uploaded no later than 5:00 PM EDT on May 23, 2012.NSPIRES accepts fully electronic RFI responses through a combination of data-basedinformation (the electronic Cover Page) and an uploaded PDF file (the attachment) thatcontains the body of the response.To initiate an RFI Response: Log in using your NSPIRES user name and password. Access Proposals in the NSPIRES Options Page Click on the 'Create NOI' button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Selectthe 'Electric Propulsion for the In-Space Propulsion Technology Project Request forInformation' (NNC12ZMX023L). Follow the step-by-step instructions provided in NSPIRES to complete your Cover Page.The attachment must be uploaded as a single.PDF file and shall be no more than 15 pages(8.5' x 11', using not smaller than 12 point Arial font) in length. No additionaldocuments should be uploaded. To ensure proper transmission, the size of the.PDF fileshould not exceed 10 MB in size.The following information should be included in the attachment: 1.Description of the integrated system, components and demonstration approach, along withtheir state of readiness and estimated cost to attain TRL 6 by March 31, 2015.2.Cost estimate should detail non-recurring engineering costs such as hardware design andfabrication, subsystem and integration testing, and documentation costs as well asrecurring flight unit costs.3.Schedule estimate should be detailed and breakout component development, componentfabrication, testing, integration, and design updates.4.The throttle-ability of the system and range of PPU input voltage variation should bedetailed including any addition complexity, risk, performance, cost, or schedulepenalties for the additional capability beyond the target performance specified in thetop-level system specifications.5.Description of trades performed to guide the hardware development strategy.6.Description of the key technology risks and requirements for advanced technology toattain TRL 6 by March 31, 2015.7.Statement of offeror's capabilities to provide the proposed demonstration, technology,system, and components. 8.Proposed approach for government involvement in testing and/or use of governmentfacilities should be provided.9.The above information are NASA goals, however NASA seeks contractor inputs on the mosteffective solution which may be different from the proposed target dates.10.Description of alternative electric propulsion system components or approachs that thecontractor feels would be of interest to the NASA mission described above.Electronic submission of the RFI responses through NSPIRES will be open between April 4,2012 and May 23, 2012.Requests for assistance in accessing and/or using the NSPIRES website should be submittedby E-mail to nspires-help@nasaprs.com or by telephone to (202) 479-9376 Monday throughFriday, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Time.No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If asolicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA AcquisitionInternet Service.All questions and/or comments shall be directed to Ernest Mensurati via electronic mailonly. Questions can be submitted through 5:00pm EDT Wednesday April 18. Answers will beposted to NSPIRES by Friday April 27.This presolicitation synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government,nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response.Respondents willnot be notified of the results.NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for thisacquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html. The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over theInternet. These documents will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may beaccessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/GRCBusiness Opportunities home page ishttp://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=22 It is the offeror'sresponsibility to monitor the Internet cite for the release of the solicitation andamendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their owncopy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.
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(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/NASA/GRC/OPDC20220/NNC12ZMX023L/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02713879-W 20120406/120404235332-fc4a2e6a8919230254462957e4fa2ed2 (fbodaily.com)
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