This proposal for supporting the phase a studies of PO entails refinement of the instrument mechanical design, power and fpga boards and participation in ICD development. In order to support the phase…

This federal contract award to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for $400,035.00 supports the Phase A studies of the Plasma Observatory (PO) mission, which is a collaboration between the United States and the European Space Agency (ESA). Under this Cooperative Agreement, UCLA will refine the instrument mechanical design, power and FPGA boards, and participate in the Interface Control Document (ICD) development. The team will also develop an Engineering Development Model (EDM) and test critical subsystem components, with the data documented and presented during two instrument reviews over the next two years. Additionally, UCLA will refine the activities, schedule, and costs for the full mission (Phases B-F), which will form the basis of a future proposal to NASA for participation in the mission development, launch, operations, and science phases. This contract has no set-aside designation and is being awarded by the Shared Services Center, a civilian agency within the U.S. government.

This proposal for supporting the phase a studies of PO entails refinement of the instrument mechanical design, power and fpga boards and participation in ICD development. In order to support the phase a activities the team proposes to develop an engineering development model (EDM) and test critical aspects of sub-system design. Test data will be documented and presented during two instrument reviews during the next 2 years. The team also proposes to refine the activities, schedule, and costs of the full mission (phases b-f). This project implementation plan developed during phase a will govern the mission execution should IT be selected by ESA in june 2026. This plan will also form the basis of our future proposal to NASA for participation in the mission development, launch, operations and science phases of PO. At that proposal, we will also include additional cois to ensure a robust succession plan, since the PO launch and ensuing science are anticipated to be in the 2037-2040 timeframe.