SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- CUBESAT SOLAR SAIL SYSTEMS
- Notice Date
- 10/25/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 927110
— Space Research and Technology
- Contracting Office
- NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall SpaceFlight Center, AL 35812
- ZIP Code
- 35812
- Solicitation Number
- NNM14ZPS001L
- Response Due
- 11/4/2013
- Archive Date
- 10/25/2014
- Point of Contact
- Marlyce E. Alexander, Contract Specialist, Phone 256-544-8344, Fax 256-544-6062, Email Marlyce.R.Alexander@nasa.gov - Belinda F Triplett, Contract Specialist, Phone 256-961-7650, Fax 256-961-7524, Email belinda.f.triplett@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Marlyce E. Alexander
(Marlyce.R.Alexander@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This notice is issued by NASA/MSFC to post a Request for Information (RFI) via the internet, and solicit responses from interested parties. Pursuant to FAR 52.215-3, this document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal. This RFI is open but not limited to educational, industrial and not-for-profit organizations. Prospective offerors are invited to submit their responses no later than November 4, 2013. NASA/MSFC is interested in solar sail systems for interplanetary robotic exploration that may be deployed from a cubesat. This RFI solicits information about solar sail systems that may be delivered for flight as soon as 2016. The solar sail system must be capable of deployment after the cubesat separates from the launch vehicle. The solar sail system shall consist of a reflective sail membrane, a deployable sail support structure, an independent sail actuation system that may be coupled to an overall spacecraft attitude control system to minimize or eliminate the use of propellant, and all hardware and software needed to prepare the sail for launch. The basic engineering boundary conditions for the solar sail system are: Deployed Sail Dimensions: ~10 meters x ~10 meters (or as large as can be packaged in the stowed volume available listed below) Sail System (including booms and any deployment mechanisms) Stowed Volume available: ≤2U (1U cubesat dimension = 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm) Effective Sail Reflectance: > 0.91 in the visible spectrum Anti-sunward Emissivity: > 0.30 Thrust Vector Pointing Range: cone of 45 half-angle (centered on the solar vector, thrusting anti-sunward) The membrane shall be fabricated from a space-durable, tear-resistant or tear-tolerant material designed for an operational lifetime of at least 2 years in a deep space environment (< 2 AU from the Sun) that may include operations at or near the Moon The support structure shall deploy the sail membrane, and keep the deployed sail flat and relatively free of wrinkles. Respondents should address the relative flatness of their sail technology and how it might be also used as a solar reflector for purposes of providing illumination, the maturity of the technology and its subsystems (i.e., what part of the system have been flight qualified, when and by whom or under what project), and near-term plans for qualification of the technology, if any. If the sail system includes an independent sail actuation system, then please describe how it may be used with the overall attitude control subsystem to provide a propellantless or very low propellant usage method to maintain and control the pitch, yaw, and roll orientation of the sail.The response should include the proposed technical specifications of the sail, including but not limited to, overall sail dimensions, deployment strategy, boom type, known structural mode, boom material, sail material, etc. Respondents should estimate, broken down by key sail subsystems, the cost of solar sail system development and testing, integration and accommodation in a cubesat (in FY14 dollars). This should include an engineering development unit cost, first flight unit cost, and a second flight unit cost. Responses should include the following information: 1. Company name, point of contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and nature of interest. 2. Information regarding existing or planned instruments with respect to the above section (include written and illustrated concepts, ideas, and description of capabilities). 3. Identification of industry partnerships represented in the response (if any). When responding, reference RFI NNM142ZPS001L -- CUBESAT SOLAR SAIL SYSTEMS. Documents and attachments should be in Microsoft WORD, POWERPOINT, or PDF format. Files should not be greater than 15 pages (no less than 10 point font except in figure captions). It is not NASA's intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information obtained from this RFI. To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as 'Proprietary or Confidential' will be kept confidential. Responses may be forwarded to Marlyce R. Alexander via electronic transmission at Marlyce.R.Alexander@nasa.gov. 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 will not be notified of the results. An ombudsman has been appointed-See NASA Specific Note 'B'. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition 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 the Internet. These documents will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/MSFC Business Opportunities home page is http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=62 It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet cite for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/NASA/GMSFC/POVA/NNM14ZPS001L/listing.html)
- Record
- SN03222622-W 20131027/131025234013-ec47147316c28e21ac3938ce68166eac (fbodaily.com)
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