NASA Solicitation: Teaming Opportunity for Spacecraft Bus Development and Operations
Synopsis – Apr 08, 2011
General Information
Solicitation Number: SS-SpacecraftOperations
Posted Date: Apr 08, 2011
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Apr 08, 2011
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Apr 22, 2011
Current Response Date: Apr 22, 2011
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541712 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001
Description
This partnering synopsis solicits potential partners to participate in a proposal development activity that addresses the technical objectives and development of a complete mission in response to an anticipated Earth Venture Class Investigation Announcement of Opportunity (AO) expected to be released in the Spring/Summer of 2011. Earth Venture is a Program element within the Earth System Science Pathfinder Program (ESSP) consisting of a series of innovative, integrated, science-driven approaches to pressing Earth system science issues. The goal of NASA’s Earth Venture mission portfolio is to provide frequent flight opportunities for high quality, high value, focused Earth science investigations that can be accomplished under a not-to exceed cost cap and that can be developed and flown relatively quickly, generally in 5 years or less. For additional information on the Venture Class program and a copy of the draft AO visit:
Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government Agencies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBzone small businesses, and women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASA’s policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs.
Vendors may submit responses to either the spacecraft bus development, the spacecraft bus operations, or both. Vendors are not required to respond to both sections of this Partnering Synopsis.
Partners are sought with expertise in Spacecraft Bus Development and Spacecraft Mission Operations.
Typical spacecraft / payload characteristics are shown below:
* Minimum Operational life: 3 years
* Nominal Orbit Altitude: 650 kilometers
* Nominal Orientation: Local Vertical Local Horizontal (LVLH)
* Payload risk classification of “D” should be assumed per NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR) 8705.4 Risk Classification for NASA Payloads
* Spacecraft bus must meet the NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris (NPR 8715.6A) and NASA Process for Limiting Orbital Debris (NASA-STD-8719.14)
* Total Average Payload Power ~200W Watts
* Total Payload Mass ~250 kilograms
* MIL-STD-1553B command and telemetry bus and appropriate interface for science instrument(s)
Spacecraft Bus Development Spacecraft bus development activities include but are not limited to: spacecraft bus design, development and test, integration of GFE payload(s), full observatory functional testing, performance and environmental testing, shipment to the launch site, support of launch operations, launch and early orbit support, and on-orbit performance verification.
The following capabilities are deemed critical:
* Ability to work as part of a government-industry team that may include other industrial partners, academia, and/or foreign partners.
* Innovative technical and partnering approaches that could be used to minimize cost without increasing overall mission risk.
* Demonstrated track record of developing low-cost spacecraft on-time and at the agreed upon cost.
* Depth of experience of spacecraft bus management/development, including but not limited to: systems engineering, spacecraft bus fabrication and test, subcontract management, quality management, safety management, materials and processes/contamination control, payload integration and test support, observatory functional and environmental testing, shipment to the launch site, launch vehicle integration support, preparations for and the conduct of launch and early orbit checkout operations, on-orbit operation support, sustaining engineering support including flight software maintenance.
* AS9100 quality management systems compliant with NASA safety and mission assurance requirements including a description of the contractors approach to comply with NASA standards.
Spacecraft Bus Operations Spacecraft bus operations activities include but are not limited to: on-orbit spacecraft bus command and control; including the design, development, procurement, integration, testing, operational staffing, training, implementation and maintenance to provide spacecraft bus health and attitude control.
The following capabilities are deemed critical:
* Ability to work as part of a government-industry team that may include other industrial partners, academia, and/or foreign partners.
* Innovative technical and partnering approaches that could be used to minimize cost without increasing overall mission risk.
* Demonstrated track record of operating spacecraft bus with proven technical and cost performance.
* Depth of experience of spacecraft bus operations, including but not limited to: pre-launch ground system development approach; pre-launch operations system qualification and retention approach; experience with autonomous/lights out operations; mission operations infrastructure including facilities, communications, power, etc; operations team development and certification approach; quality management; safety management; conduct of launch and early orbit checkout operations; conduct of routine operations; anomaly response protocols; and sustaining engineering.
* AS9100 quality management systems compliant with NASA safety and mission assurance requirements including a description of the contractors approach to comply with NASA standards.
Earth Venture proposed investigations will be evaluated and selected through a single step competitive process. This single step is the solicitation, submission, evaluation, and selection of proposals prepared in response to this AO. As the outcome of this single step, NASA Headquarters intends to select at least one mission to proceed to mission development for flight and operations.
This partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited. It is expected that the partner(s) selected would provide (at no cost to NASA) technical requirements, conceptual designs, technical data, proposal input, project schedules, and cost estimates. If the proposal is subsequently selected, NASA LaRC anticipates issuing contracts or other agreements to the selected partner(s) for performance of the proposed tasks.
NASA LaRC is committed to transparency and openness in the generation of its science data products. Openness and transparency are critical to continued scientific and engineering progress and to building public trust in the nation’s scientific enterprise (National Science Board 2/11). Consequently, it is anticipated that future contracts or other agreements with selected partner(s) would emphasize broad dissemination and sharing of instrument testing, performance, and results with the science community/public.
Partner selections will be made by LaRC based on the listed criteria:
* Relevant Experience, past performance. This criterion evaluates the proposers’ relevant recent experience, past performance in similar space flight development activities. Substantive evidence of successful participation in similar developments should be included.
* Technical Capability and Key Personnel. This criterion evaluates technical capability to perform the development and key personnel available to support the development. Evidence of staffing estimates with available key personnel shall be included. Past successful programs and technical contributions shall be included.
* Facilities. This criterion evaluates the proposers’ facilities (development, testing, calibration, and analyses) to conduct the development or demonstration of the proposed task. The proposer should discuss facility availability, access, and the ability to meet the proposed objectives.
* Cost and Schedule control. The proposer shall provide evidence of past performance of controls of cost and schedule on similar development activities and provide examples of management processes utilized to effect and track cost and schedule.
(Note: The Earth Venture draft solicitation includes a student collaboration incentive (defined as 1% of the mission cost cap). The student collaboration (SC) can take the form of an instrument development, an investigation of scientific questions, analysis and display of data, development of supporting hardware or software, or other aspects of the investigation that can be incorporated into the mission on a nonimpact basis. Consequently, NASA LaRC is interested in SC activities from prospective offerors for the instrument and spacecraft that maximize the opportunity for teaching, learning, and success in contributing to the mission. A proposed SC is optional and the merit of the SC will not be evaluated as part of this process.)
RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: Responses to this partnering synopsis shall be limited to 5 pages in not less than 12-point font for each technical area of interest (i.e. offerors responding to one or more of the elements may submit up to 5 pages per each element). Responses shall address each of the evaluation criteria listed above. Resumes of key personnel and a cover page that clearly identifies the mission element area addressed by the response do not count against the total allocated page count. In addition, student collaboration activities proposed do not count against the total page count.
All responses shall be submitted to LaRC electronically via e-mail by 4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time April 22, 2011 to Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov. Technical and programmatic questions should be directed to Gloria Hernandez at gloria.hernandez@nasa.gov, or (757) 864-5572. Procurement questions should be directed to Brad Gardner at Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov or (757) 864-2525.
Point of Contact
Name: Robert B. Gardner
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 757-864-2525
Fax: 757-864-7898
Email: Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov
Name: Teresa M Hass
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 757-864-8496
Fax: 757-864-8863
Email: Teresa.M.Hass@nasa.gov
