NASA Geospace Dynamics Constellation Solicitation Released on June 2
On June 2, 2021, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing a solicitation for Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) Investigations.
Release Date: June 2, 2021
Mandatory Notice of Intent Due: June 23, 2021
Proposals Due: September 1, 2021
Solicitation Number: NNH17ZDA004O-GDC (Amendment 18 to the SALMON-3 AO: NNH17ZDA004O)
This solicitation is released as a Program Element Appendix (PEA) under the Third Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity (SALMON-3) Announcement of Opportunity (AO), using the Focused Mission of Opportunity (FMO) option.
This solicitation will be open from June 2, 2021, through September 1, 2021. NSPIRES is the official NASA source for the full text of the solicitation, therefore please visit: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/.
GDC is being formulated as a spacecraft constellation of at least six observatories with homogenous science payloads. The mission will focus on high-priority science identified by the GDC Science and Technology Definition Team and refined as part of NASA’s pre-Phase A activities.
The PEA solicits science investigations that 1) will address the NASA-identified GDC Science Objectives with investigation team members that will join the GDC science team for Phases A through F, and 2) will deliver flight instruments for integration on the GDC observatories.
A Preproposal Conference will be held via teleconference/WebEx in mid-June, 2021. The forthcoming date, agenda, and logistical information for this session maybe found by searching the Acquisition Homepage: https://lws.larc.nasa.gov/gdc.
This PEA is not soliciting proposals from non-U.S. organizations or institutions; however, contributions from non-U.S. sources are welcome, with restrictions described in the solicitation. Specific categories of organizations and institutions that are welcome to respond include, but are not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies. Non-U.S. organizations may participate on a no-exchange-of-funds basis.
NASA expects to select a number of investigations to form a complete GDC science payload within the solicitation’s total cost cap. These selections will be made in a one-step process and selected investigations will not enter a competitive Phase A.
The GDC solicitation incorporates a number of changes relative to the draft GDC PEA. All proposers must read the PEA carefully, and all proposals must comply with the requirements, constraints, and guidelines contained within the AO.
Mandatory Notices of Intent are required to be submitted via NSPIRES by 11:59 pm Eastern on June 23, 2021 and proposals are due the same hour by September 1, 2021.
Comments and questions may be addressed by E-mail to the GDC Program Scientist Dr. Jared Leisner at jared.s.leisner@nasa.gov (subject line to read “GDC PEA”). Proposers are encouraged to send comments and questions early, so that they may be addressed at the Preproposal Conference.
Responses to all inquiries will be posted at the Questions and Answers (Q&As) location of the GDC Program Acquisition website athttps://lws.larc.nasa.gov/gdc. The period for questions/comments will close three weeks before the proposal due date, and the period for responses will close ten days before the proposal due date. Anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.
