NASA Earth Venture Mission-3 Announcement of Opportunity Final Text Released

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing an Announcement of Opportunity(AO) solicitation number NNH21ZDA002O to solicit Principal Investigator (PI)-led science investigations for the Earth Venture Mission-3 (EVM-3) element of the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program. NASA desires to launch the EVM-3 investigation within five years of initiation of formulation. NASA recognizes and supports the benefits of engaging diverse and inclusive scientific, engineering, and technology communities and fully expects that such values will be reflected in the composition of all proposal teams as well as peer review panels (science, engineering, and technology), science definition teams, and mission and instrument teams.

This email is not a complete or verbatim summary of the EVM-3 AO. To obtain a copy of the full, final AO visit the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES), https://nspires.nasaprs.com, and download solicitation number NNH21ZDA002O. In the event of any future lapses to the NASA operations, AO respondents should visit NSPIRES, the official NASA source for this AO. Proposers must carefully read the final EVM-3 AO in its entirety and not rely on this summary.

The AO cost cap for this EVM-3 mission is $190 Million in NASA Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 dollars (estimate), including launch but not including any contributions. It is expected that any investigation selected will be managed as Class D missions, see NASA Procedural Requirement NPR 8705.4, Risk Classification for NASA Payloads, which is in the EVM-3 Library. 

Multiple options for access to space are available with this solicitation. Launch vehicle procurement may be obtained through NASA or independently. Launch vehicle standard services can be provided by a NASA Launch Service Provider, and the cost, depending on the type of access to space, will be deducted from the PI-managed cost cap.  Alternatively, access to space may be obtained independently of NASA with an appropriate provider and the Principal Investigator team will be responsible for the full costs, risks, and management of this portion of the mission. 

Key Dates

The Question and Answer period for the EVM-3 AO ends two weeks before the proposal due date, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on February 18, 2021.  Questions will be accepted by email only, and must be addressed to kenneth.w.jucks@nasa.gov with the subject line to read “EVM-3 AO.”  Responses will be posted on the EVM-3 Acquisition Homepage at https://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVM-3/.

Proposers are encouraged to submit questions early so that they may be addressed at the planned Preproposal Conference. Find additional information, including a forthcoming agenda, logistics, and confirmation of the date for this Preproposal Conference on the Acquisition Homepage located at https://essp.larc.nasa.gov/EVM-3/. Anonymity of persons and institutions who submit comments will be preserved.

The issuance of the EVM-3 AO does not obligate NASA to issue award through this AO. Any costs incurred by prospective investigators in preparing submissions in response to this solicitation are incurred completely at the submitter’s own risk.