JPL, Stuart Imai, Mail Stop 190-200, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099

A -- SPACE INTERFEROMETRY MISSION (SIM) SOL 96/3. Due 062896. Contact Point: Stuart Imai, (818) 354-2070; FAX (818) 393-4168; Internet address: stuart.t.imai@jpl.nasa.gov. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology (JPL/CIT), operating under a prime contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is beginning the development of a major new space astrometry mission, including spacecraft and instrument, based on interferometry. The mission is called Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). This development effort will lead to an anticipated launch date of 2003. JPL desires significant industry involvement in this program. The Laboratory is asking for broad community response to help focus and structure a plan for industry involvement. Details about this project and background, including the current status of concepts developed for it, are described in-depth on the SIM Homepage which can be accessed at: http;://techinfo/www/sim/contents.htm. Companies are invited to review the information at that site and to provide a written response to JPL that: (1) outlines company capabilities pertaining to SIM; and (2) discusses company preferences for structuring business arrangements for this project. JPL is particularly interested in those responses that would improve the system technically; would lower the cost and/or shorten the developments schedule. Potential areas of participation include: (a) Spacecraft hardware and software development; (b) Instrument hardware and software development; (c) Interferometry component technology development; (d) Interferometer test and calibration; (e) Systems integration; and (f) Mission operations support. Responses submitted are limited to ten (10) single-sided, single-spaced pages per company, in addition to the cover page. Responses should comply with the following guidelines: (1) Cover Page: (a) Include a heading entitled ``SIM Mission Development'' (b) a listing of system/subsystem areas to which you are responding; and (c) your name, affiliations, address, telephone number, fax number, and E-mail address. If your response contains proprietary information, such information should be clearly marked. (2) Technology Response: (a) Discuss capability and/or expertise that could be applied to this project; (b) systems and subsystems of SIM in which you would prefer to partipate in development and/or operations activities; (c) the preferred nature of your involvement; and (d) the potential scope of tasks that would be desired. (3) Business Arrangements: (a) JPL is open to discussions involving the role and responsibility of any and all private companies. Many arrangements are under consideration. Company input will be used to form a strategy and a plan for involving industrial firms. Prior to the due date of the written responses, companies are invited to contact JPL for individual visits and discussions. During this interim period, all discussions will be treated as open discussions. After the response due date, JPL will enter into a period of evaluation during which discussions with outside companies will be restricted. Companies or teams interested in this effort should have strong and proven spacecraft engineering and fabrication experience and/or experience in technology areas related to interferometry. It is emphasized that the requested information is for preliminary planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that JPL will take procurement action in this particular matter or solicit for any procurement in the future. Neither JPL nor the government will be responsible for any costs incurred in furnishing this information. Responses to the Request for Information (RAI) are due no later than close of business on June 28, 1996 and should be addressed to Stuart Imai at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mail Stop 190-220, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099; FAX (818) 393-4168; or Internet: Stuart.T.Imai@jpl.nasa.gov. This is not a solicitation or Request for Proposal (RFP). (144)

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