Amendment #11 to the SALMON-3 AO creates a new proposal opportunity via PEA N: Earth Venture Continuity (EVC)-1

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate announces the addition of Program Element Appendix (PEA) N to the omnibus NASA Announcement of Opportunity entitled Third Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON-3 NNH17ZDA004O). PEA N is the Earth Venture Continuity (EVC)-1, a new opportunity to propose complete PI-led science investigations requiring spaceflight. The full text of the EVC-1 PEA N of SALMON-3 is available on the NSPIRES page for NNH17ZDA004O-EVC1.

EVC-1 solicits proposals for cost-capped activities resulting in the design, implementation, on-orbit characterization, and scientific exploitation of observations from a capable observing system to enable retrieval of top of the atmosphere short wave, long wave, and total radiative fluxes. Measured top of atmosphere radiances and any necessary algorithms will be used by NASA to seamlessly extend and continue the Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) Climate Data Records. Other outputs are expected to include scientific investigations by the Principal Investigator (PI) team to advance the understanding of radiances, radiative fluxes, and the ERB.

EVC-1 PEA investigations may be proposed as a Focused Mission of Opportunity (FMO) or a Small Complete Mission (SCM) that fulfills the solicited objectives and includes all of the elements specified in both the PEA and in the SALMON-3 AO. The PI-Managed Mission Costs or PIMMC cap for the EVC-1 mission is $150M in fiscal year (FY) 2019 dollars, and NASA plans to complete the selection using a single step process. NASA intends to select one proposed PI-led investigation to proceed to development for flight and operations.

Proposal selection and award will be implemented according to the guidelines set forth in Section 7.4 of the SALMON-3 AO and of this PEA. Proposers should read both the SALMON-3 and the PEA N: EVC1 carefully.

A pre-proposal WebEx/Teleconference will be January 23, 2019. The forthcoming schedule updates, agenda, and logistical information for this session is found on the EVC-1 Acquisition Homepage: https://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVC-1/.

Mandatory Notices of Intent (NOI) due: March 29, 2019, 11:59 PM EST

Last Date for submission of Questions: 11:59 pm eastern time on May 10, 2019

Due Date for Receipt of Electronic Proposals in NSPIRES:  11:59 pm eastern time on May 24, 2019

Due Date for Receipt of Proposal CD-ROMs: 4:30 pm eastern time on May 29, 2019

Questions concerning this PEA may be addressed to Dr. David Considine, Earth Venture Continuity – 1 Program Scientist at david.b.considine@nasa.gov (subject line to read 2019 EVC-1). Responses to all inquiries will be posted in the EVC-1 Acquisition Homepage at: https://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVC-1/evc-1_qas.html. Anonymity of those who submit questions will be preserved.