CAESAR phase a. The new frontiers comet astrobiology exploration sample return (CAESAR) mission will acquire and return to earth a macroscopic sample from the surface of a comet nucleus and…

Ended Definitive Contract Awarded Last action

Contract number
80GSFC18C0068
Awardee
Awarding agency
Obligated
$799,335

Award facts

Opportunity
Contract value 100% obligated
$799,335.00 Current and potential, with all options
Completion date 100% complete
Current and potential, with all options
Set-aside
No set-aside
Competition
Full and Open Competition · 6 offers Basic Research
Pricing
Firm Fixed Price
Place of performance
Sterling, VA, USA

Award details come from SAM.gov/FPDS.

Transactions

Action Obligated Date
Other Administrative Action P00001 $0
Original award $799,335

About this award

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The federal contract award is for the CAESAR PHASE A mission, which is being conducted by the prime contractor Orbital Sciences LLC under a definitive contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Center. The mission will acquire and return a sample from the surface of a comet nucleus to Earth in order to understand the nature of solar system starting materials and how they came together to form planets and enable life. The contract has a potential value of $799,335 and is a firm fixed price agreement with no set-aside designation. Orbital Sciences LLC is a for-profit manufacturer of aerospace, defense, and space systems products that has previously received federal contracts from NASA and other agencies for related work.

The CAESAR PHASE A mission is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, which conducts Principal Investigator-led planetary science investigations within a cost cap. The New Frontiers Program solicitation, which led to this award, sought proposals for one of six mission themes, including the Comet Surface Sample Return theme that CAESAR is addressing. The solicitation allowed proposals to utilize radioisotope power systems, with associated costs to be included in the proposals. The selected CAESAR mission is targeted to launch no later than December 31, 2025.

Description

As the agency reported it.

CAESAR phase a. The new frontiers comet astrobiology exploration sample return (CAESAR) mission will acquire and return to earth a macroscopic sample from the surface of a comet nucleus and determine the geologic and geomorphologic context of the sample region. CAESAR's sample analysis objectives address planetary decadal survey questions that seek to understand the nature of solar system starting materials and how these primitive components came together to form planets and give rise to life. Using established expertise and laboratory instruments, CAESAR will determine the nature and abundances of interstellar grains and molecular cloud material, and determine the origins and ages of refractory solar nebula condensates. IT will trace the origins of volatile reservoirs, delineate the chemical pathways that led from simple interstellar species to complex and prebiotic molecules, and constrain the geological and dynamic evolution of the comet. And IT will evaluate the potential role of comets in delivering water and organics to the early earth.

Quick answers

Who was awarded contract 80GSFC18C0068?

80GSFC18C0068 was awarded to Orbital Sciences LLC by Goddard Space Center (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on June 14, 2018.

How much is contract 80GSFC18C0068 worth?

The government has obligated $799,335 on 80GSFC18C0068.

Was contract 80GSFC18C0068 competed?

The extent of competition for 80GSFC18C0068 was full and open competition. The government received 6 offers.

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