NASA Solicitation: Evolving ISS Into LEO Commercial Market
Synopsis – Apr 28, 2014
General Information
Solicitation Number: NNHXXZCJ001L
Posted Date: Apr 28, 2014
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 28, 2014
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Jun 30, 2014
Current Response Date: Jun 30, 2014
Classification Code: 99 — Miscellaneous
NAICS Code: 927110
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
NASA announced on January 9, 2014 the intent to extend the ISS through at least 2024. Central to this extension, which will keep ISS operational for at least 10 years, NASA intends to use the next decade to exploit ISS and supporting services to broaden private market involvement in low Earth orbit (LEO) and to enable NASA’s exploration goals.
On the non-NASA and commercial research/science demand side, NASA has partnered with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, CASIS, to identify and promote commercial and private use of ISS research capabilities and the micro-gravity environment.
The purpose of this RFI is to collect information from industry on how NASA can enable greater private access, use, and applications of LEO utilizing ISS, including crew and cargo transportation, to help industry identify commercially viable activities that would be self-sustaining. NASA also plans collaborate with CASIS to use the inputs gathered from responses to this RFI as part of an overall strategy geared towards the eventual transition of NASA LEO capabilities to the private sector and to enable exploration capabilities. This RFI provides an opportunity for NASA to learn about the interests of a range of external parties – commercial, international, and other USG sectors in the development of commercial activities and capabilities in LEO. NASA is also interested in reducing or removing the barriers to the development of a commercially driven LEO market.
NASA is specifically requesting the following information:
1. Company name, point of contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and nature of interest in the development of a market driven commercial market in LEO.
2. Identify capabilities that could be provided to NASA that would benefit the creation of private LEO systems and/or be suitable for sustainment of ISS through at least 2024 and, if applicable, for crewed missions beyond LEO. – Systems, technologies and approaches should be identified
3. Recommend private research or other activities and/or applications that could be performed on ISS that may enable future commercial value or demand.
4. Identify ISS crew transportation uses that would enable the development of commercial activities onboard the ISS or other LEO platforms (e.g. labs, human-tended facilities, etc) beyond NASA requirements.
5. Identify, any access, programmatic, and business related barriers (e.g. policy, legal and/or other barriers) to realizing these objectives.
6. Identify any NASA capabilities or expertise that would help enable the transition of LEO to a more commercially driven presence.
7. NASA will probably continue to require access and use of habitation capabilities in LEO after the end of the ISS life, such as human health and research and physical science research activities. Identify capabilities and/or resources that NASA could purchase on a commercial basis that would enable post ISS NASA research activities.
General description of the ISS and its capabilities can be found at the below reference: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/508318main_ISS_ref_guide_nov2010.pdf
Private crew participants on ISS are required to conform to the ISS code of conduct. See reference below: http://cfr.regstoday.com/14cfr1214.aspx#14_CFR_1214p403
Response should be limited to 20 pages.
Send responses or questions to HQ-ISS-LEO-RFI@nasa.gov
Written responses due June 30, 2014.
NASA is also planning on having an open meeting with industry in the first part of June. Details will be forthcoming.
Point of Contact: Sam Scimemi Director, International Space Station NASA Headquarters HQ-ISS-LEO-RFI@nasa.gov
This is a request for information only. It is not a request for proposals or a commitment to procure any goods or services, and will not result in a contract or any other type of award. NASA will not reimburse any costs incurred for preparation or submission of information in response to this RFI.
NASA reserves the right to share all information received in response to this RFI throughout NASA and to use all information submitted in response to this RFI in NASA’s formulation of any potential future solicitations seeking competitive proposals. NASA does not wish to receive any proprietary or competition sensitive data that requires protection. However, if it is necessary to submit such data to answer any of the questions in this RFI, that data must be clearly marked by the submitter as proprietary or sensitive.
Point of Contact
Name: Sam Scimemi
Title: Director International Space Station
Phone: 202-358-0865
Fax: 202-358-3406
Email: HQ-ISS-LEO-RFI@nasa.gov
