Solar probe plus (SPP) phase a activities the contractor shall perform the work that is designated in task orders issued by the contracting officer. The overall scope of work to be performed will…

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center awarded The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC (APL) a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order contract valued at approximately $898.3 million with a completion date of March 31, 2026. This contract supports aerospace research, development, and engineering (ARDES) activities across all of NASA's mission directorates, including work on the Solar Probe Plus and Parker Solar Probe missions. Task orders issued under this vehicle fall within two broad categories: essential research capabilities focused on space systems engineering, systems test and evaluation, information technology, and simulation/modeling/operations analysis to preserve the nation's robotic space mission capabilities; and other aerospace research, development, and engineering support encompassing broader scientific and technical capabilities relevant to NASA programs. The work involves providing NASA with technical advice, studies, and investigative reports while advancing technology transfer, partnering, and commercialization activities to enhance national technological competitiveness and prosperity.

APL, a not-for-profit university-affiliated research center headquartered in Laurel, Maryland and a subsidiary of The Johns Hopkins University, serves as a critical technical partner to federal agencies across defense, national security, and scientific domains. The contract is not designated as a set-aside procurement, reflecting the specialized and technical nature of the services required. Performance will be conducted in Laurel, Maryland. Supporting subcontractors include IP Datasystems Inc., which provides IT infrastructure solutions including servers, storage systems, and networking equipment to support the contract's operational and technical requirements.

Solar probe plus (SPP) phase a activities the contractor shall perform the work that is designated in task orders issued by the contracting officer. The overall scope of work to be performed will support all of NASA's mission directorates. These efforts can be characterized as aerospace research, development, and engineering support (ardes). The general nature of the tasks to be developed will be to conduct supporting research and advanced technology development designed to make contributions to space science and space exploration and assist NASA in the formulation and execution of its programs by providing NASA with technical advice, studies, and reports of investigations. Efforts undertaken by the contractor, in the performance of the assigned tasks, which include technology transfer, partnering and commercialization activities, shall seek to enhance the value and contribution of technology to the nation s technological competitiveness, prosperity, quality of life, and other national priorities. Individual task orders will fall within one of two broad categories: 1) essential research capability of space systems engineering, and related work in the supporting essential research capabilities of systems test and evaluation, information technology, and simulation, modeling and operations analysis. Task orders within the category of essential research capabilities are intended to preserve the nation s capabilities to perform robotic space missions over the full mission life cycle from concept formulation through mission operations and data analysis. NASA is contracting for support in several key research, engineering and development competencies that are fundamental to the performance of these missions. 2) other aerospace research, development, and engineering support. Task orders within the category of other aerospace research, development and engineering support are intended to include a broad base of scientific and technical capabilities relevant to NASA program responsibilities and assignments. Regardless of category, task orders may be issued related to autonomous deep-space and earth-orbiting spacecraft or major subsystems, experiments, instruments or other devices that may be carried as payloads on the space shuttle or on other spacecraft. Task assignments will explicitly describe a broad range of hardware, software, systems engineering, scientific analysis, and management efforts including program and project management and administration.