RAPID III Spacecraft Acquisition (RAPID III)

The RAPID III Spacecraft Acquisition is a multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract focused on spacecraft bus core systems and related mission support services. Managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the contract enables the design, development, integration, and operational support for sophisticated satellite and observatory platforms. The fixed-price contract provides a flexible mechanism for government agencies to acquire complex spacecraft systems with specific mission requirements, covering activities from initial design through launch and on-orbit operations.

Task orders under RAPID III predominantly support earth science, climate monitoring, and weather observation missions across agencies like NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense. Prime contractors including Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems have been awarded task orders ranging from $10,000 accommodation studies to over $500 million spacecraft delivery contracts. Typical task orders support missions such as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-2), ICESat-2, Landsat 9, and Space Weather Follow-On, with contract values spanning from $10,000 to $577 million. Performance locations are distributed across multiple states, including Colorado, Arizona, and others, with work typically executed at contractors' engineering and manufacturing facilities. None of the identified task orders utilized small business set-aside designations, suggesting these are large, complex spacecraft development contracts awarded to established aerospace contractors.