NASA Solicitation Asteroid Redirect Mission Umbrella for Partnerships (ARM-UP) Released
This email is to inform you that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released today the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) NNH16ZCQ002K entitled “Asteroid Redirect Mission Umbrella for Partnerships (ARM-UP)” and the first two appendices.
Through the ARM-UP BAA, NASA solicits concept studies, basic and applied research and technology demonstrations, and mission investigations through partnerships with the ARM. Two specific opportunities are sought through two appendices also released today under the umbrella solicitation – “Appendix A: Hosted Payloads on Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission,” and “Appendix B: ARM Investigation Team Phase 1.”
Through the umbrella solicitation, NASA seeks proposals in research areas including partner-provided investigations through systems or payloads to be hosted on the robotic segment of the ARM; collaboration through the ARM Investigation Team for additional mission investigations; concept studies for NASA’s planned crewed mission to the multi-ton asteroid boulder; and opportunities for access and experimentation at the asteroid boulder after the crewed mission. The ARM-UP BAA will remain open until August 2018, with additional opportunities beyond Appendices A and B announced, also as appendices with their own applicable requirements and milestones. More information on ARM is available at http://www.nasa.gov/arm.
Through Appendix A (NNH16ZCQ002K-HP): Hosted Payloads on ARRM, NASA solicits proposals for partnerships to provide hosted payloads on the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM). Specifically, NASA is seeking proposals to provide complete flight payloads for integration and hosting on the ARRM flight vehicle as well as associated ground support systems and flight operational support. The hosted payloads may include onboard instruments or small secondary payloads that are deployed from the ARM spacecraft to meet partner goals as well as NASA objectives. Investigations enabled could include activities such as to characterize the asteroid’s orbital and surface environments, determine the asteroid’s internal structure, measure the abundance and distribution of resources, provide complementary support for boulder selection and capture, provide remote imaging of the asteroid boulder capture operations, and other payload concepts that complement the primary objectives of the ARM.
Through Appendix B (NNH16ZCQ002K-ITP1): ARM Investigation Team Phase 1, NASA invites scientists, engineers, technologists, and other qualified and interested individuals to apply for membership on the Investigation Team (IT) for the ARM. The individuals selected to the ARM IT will lead or assist in the implementation of mission investigations focused on the following four main areas as they support the robotic and crewed segment objectives: science, planetary defense, asteroidal resources and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and capability and technology demonstrations. The IT will initially consist of members who will participate in the ARRM definition, design, development, and operations planning with the goal of maximizing the probability of mission success and the knowledge return from the mission. Limited support for postdoctoral research is planned to be provided as part of the ARM Investigation Team effort. The IT will work in collaboration with NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ARM management and technical personnel to provide expert knowledge and input in the planning of all aspects of the ARRM, which includes spacecraft interfaces, requirements, outbound cruise and asteroid rendezvous, asteroid characterization, boulder selection and capture, planetary defense demonstration, and transfer to cislunar space, as well as design considerations as they relate to the Asteroid Redirect Crewed Mission (ARCM). The IT will also work with the ARCM project team to develop plans to explore the asteroidal material returned to cislunar space, investigate the boulder after capture during the ARRM, and assist in extravehicular activity (EVA) site selection, sample acquisition, and sample curation.
The solicitation is available on the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com under menu listing “Open Solicitations.” The direct link to the umbrella solicitation is http://go.nasa.gov/2bVnWC2. The direct link to Appendix A is http://go.nasa.gov/2bVoSWI and to Appendix B http://go.nasa.gov/2bVnbJ2.
NASA plans to host a virtual industry forum Sept. 14, 2016, to provide more information about the BAA. Details on the forum are available at: www.nasa.gov/feature/asteroid-redirect-mission-virtual-industry-day.
Notices of Intent (NOIs) for Appendix A and B are due on October 6, 2016. Please note that NOIs are strongly encouraged, but are not required. Proposals for Appendix A and B are due on November 3, 2016. Please note that an authorized official of the proposing organization must submit the proposal through the electronic system(s) specified in each Appendix. Every organization and proposal team member that submits a proposal in response to this BAA must be registered with NSPIRES. Potential applicants are encouraged to register in and familiarize themselves with NSPIRES well in advance of the NOI and proposal due dates.
We look forward to continuing our collaborations and realizing opportunities available through this mission!
Best Regards,
Dr. Michele Gates
Program Director, Asteroid Redirect Mission
NASA Headquarters
Washington DC 20546
