SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Request for Information: Possible NASA Astrophysics SmallSats
- Notice Date
- 9/28/2017
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, Maryland, 20771, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20771
- Solicitation Number
- NNH17ZDA010L
- Point of Contact
- Dr. Michael R. Garcia, Phone: 202-358-1053
- E-Mail Address
-
Michael.R.Garcia@nasa.gov
(Michael.R.Garcia@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The NASA Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, requests information about potential U.S. SmallSats which could fulfill NASA astrophysics science goals as described in the 2014 NASA Science Plan available at https://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/. SmallSats are defined herein as free-flying spacecraft larger than a 6U form factor CubeSat and less massive than the 180kg limit for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) mounting. This RFI seeks mission concepts under two separate topic areas. Under Topic 1 ("Science Mission Concepts"), NASA is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to capitalize on the creativity in the astrophysics community to envision compelling missions advancing compelling astrophysics science that can be realized involving small satellites (SmallSats) at a cost between that of Astrophysics CubeSats, which are currently solicited through the Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) element of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) NASA Research Announcement, and Astrophysics Explorers Small Complete Missions, which are currently solicited as Astrophysics Explorers Missions of Opportunity. Under Topic 2 ("Advanced Technology Concepts"), this RFI solicits ideas for advanced mission concepts advancing compelling astrophysics science and involving SmallSats for which significant investments in instrument and/or spacecraft technologies would be required. Advanced concept missions are defined to be beyond the horizon of near-term solicitations. Such mission concepts are not limited by cost but rather by their realization using small satellites. The information in response to Topic 1 will be used to inform NASA's program planning, including consideration of whether to competitively solicit NASA-funded U.S. SmallSats as astrophysics science missions. In addition, the information in response to both Topics 1 and 2 will be used to help craft new topics for future technology solicitations in the Science Mission Directorate and the Space Technology Mission Directorate. A response to this Request for Information (RFI) is requested so that NASA's program planning can be informed using all relevant information. BACKGROUND Recently, small satellites have been suggested as a means to execute scientific missions at far lower cost and complexity than typical space science missions. NASA Astrophysics Division solicits CubeSats through its APRA research program and currently has four 6U CubeSats in development. This RFI will inform NASA's program planning regarding SmallSats larger than CubeSats. It is expected that any envisioned astrophysics SmallSat science investigations would, by necessity, push the current technology state-of-the-art and involve innovative thinking, advanced engineering, and technology development for instruments and/or spacecraft systems. Under Topic 1 this RFI is seeking SmallSat mission concepts conducting astrophysics science with cost ranges (from inception to space flight operations) from $10M to $35M and mass ranges from ~20 kg (basically the mass of a 12U CubeSat) to 180 kg (so-called "ESPA-class") over a variety of form factors. Under Topic 2 this RFI is seeking mission concepts conducting astrophysics science, but requiring significant investments in instrument and/or spacecraft technologies, for any small satellite class up to 180 kg and with no cost constraint. These concepts could include constellations of multiple small spacecraft. Under either topic launch costs are not to be included in the cost estimate; responses should assume that launch costs, in the form of accommodation on an ESPA ring to an appropriate orbit, will be provided by NASA. Information on SmallSat technologies developed by NASA are available through the NASA Small Spacecraft Virtual Institute (https://www.nasa.gov/smallsat-institute) and the NASA Small Satellite Technology Program (https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/small_spacecraft/smallsat_overview.html). TOPICS OF INTEREST Topic 1: Science Mission Concepts Under the "science mission concepts" topic responders to this RFI are asked to describe a mission concept study summary that would address compelling astrophysics objectives using SmallSats. Responses under Topic 1 will be used for planning purposes, to assess the value of soliciting mission proposals in the $10M to $35M range, and will not be made public. Short responses are requested that clearly summarize the mission concept, notional payload, science objectives, relevance to NASA Astrophysics objectives, and the nature of the science advancement expected from the mission. Additionally, responders are asked to provide an assessment of the technology readiness of the mission concept. Topic 2: Advanced Technology Concepts Under the "advanced technology concepts" topic responders to this RFI are asked to produce a releasable mission concept study summary that would be acceptable to present in a public forum. Short responses are requested that clearly summarize the mission concept, science objectives, relevance to NASA Astrophysics objectives, and the nature of the science advancement expected from the mission. Additionally, responders are asked to provide an assessment of the technology readiness of the mission concept and provide comments on the key technology gaps which are inherent to the concept and approaches that might be made to address such gaps. RESPONSE GUIDELINES The response to this RFI will be in the form of a PDF document that is uploaded through NASA's NSPIRES system (see instructions below). The response should not exceed five pages in length. The response must contain the following information: •Name of submitter and contact information (institutional affiliation, E-mail address). •Name and contact information for all Co-Investigators on the RFI response. •The science objectives of the envisioned SmallSat, and relevance to NASA's astrophysics science goals. •An indication of whether the proposal addresses Topic 1 or Topic 2. •A description of the envisioned SmallSat, including its capability for realizing the mission's science objectives and the current technology readiness level (TRL) of key instrument and platform components. •For Topic 1, a rough estimate of the cost anticipated, from inception through space flight operations excluding launch (not to exceed one page), including the basis for this cost estimate. •Any other information that might be helpful to NASA in planning its future program. Questions about this RFI should be directed to: Dr. Michael Garcia, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA, Washington, DC 20546; E-mail Michael.R.Garcia@nasa.gov (subject line to read "Question on Astrophysics SmallSat RFI"). Responses to all inquiries will be answered via E-mail and also posted to the Astrophysics SmallSats entry on NSPIRES. Anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved. DISCLAIMER It is emphasized that this RFI is NOT a Request for Proposal, nor Invitation for Bid. This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only, and the Government does not intend to award a contract at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Pursuant to FAR 52.215-3, entitled Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes, this information is being made available for market research, information, and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition. This RFI is subject to review or cancellation at any time and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract. The Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this request. NASA will not publicly disclose proprietary information obtained as a result of this RFI. To the full extent that it is protected by law and regulations, information identified by a respondent as Proprietary or Confidential will be kept confidential. Please do not request a copy of the solicitation, as no solicitation exists at this time. If a firm requirement is developed and a solicitation is issued, the solicitation will be made available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website (www.fbo.gov) and the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) (http://prod.nais.nasa.gov ). It is the responsibility of offerors and interested parties to monitor the Internet sites for the release of the solicitation and amendments, if any, and they will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the documents. 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. INSTRUCTIONS All responses submitted in response to this RFI must be submitted in electronic form via NSPIRES, the NASA online announcement data management system, located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/. For this RFI, a response will take the form of a Notice of Intent (NOI) within the NSPIRES online announcement data management system. You must be registered with NSPIRES to submit a RFI. See registration instructions at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select "Getting an account"). You do not need to affiliate with an institution to respond to an RFI. In order to submit a response to this RFI, use the NSPIRES procedure for submitting an NOI: 1.Log in to your account at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/. 2.Select "Proposals" from your account page. 3.Select "Create NOI" from your proposals page. 4.Click "Continue" on next page. 5.Select "Request for Information: Possible NASA Astrophysics SmallSats (NNH17ZDA010L)" from bullet list of announcements, click "Continue." 6.Enter RFI title ("NOI title" field will be shown). 7.Select "do not link at this time" for submitting organization page. 8.Click "Save" on next page. 9.It is not necessary to complete any of the "NOI Details"; all requested information should be included in the attached PDF document. 10.Prepare your response offline and save as PDF (note NSPIRES instructions on pdf formats). Please include PI Name, institution, and e-mail address, so the file is self-contained. File name should be "PI Last Name, first name: RFI". The response should not exceed five pages in length. 11.To upload your PDF response: a.Click "add" under NOI attachments section; b.Select "Proposal Document" from drop down list; c.Browse to attach your PDF file; d.Select "Upload"; e.Click "OK"; f.Check that your response document has been uploaded to NSPIRES. 12.Click Submit NOI button. Please note: You may delete and replace form fields and uploaded documents at any time before the submission deadline.
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