Attachment_1_-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

FLIGHT AND PAYLOAD INTEGRATION SERVICES ATTACHMENT 1

NASA-AFRC Flight Opportunities Program

Performance Work Statement (PWS) for

Flight and Payload Integration Services

10/23/2017 Version 1.0

1. BACKGROUND

The Flight Opportunities Program (hereafter FO or “the Program”), part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, has worked towards maturing flight readiness of new crosscutting technologies that advance or enable multiple future space missions. FO has provided opportunities to fly technology payloads on flight platforms that provide relevant environments required to test technologies (including, but not limited to, reduced gravity, exposure to the space environment, or free fall) in order to advance their technology readiness.

The Government intends to provide frequent flight opportunities for technology payloads on vehicles that are capable of flying to various altitudes and flight conditions. Technology payloads, which are solicited under separate announcements issued by the Program, are not part of this solicitation.

2. OBJECTIVE

The Government intends to acquire payload space on commercial flights (“by the slot”), including payload integration services, to fly technology payloads on flight platforms that provide high altitude, reduced gravity, or other relevant environments required to test the technology in order to advance its readiness. The flights and other services solicited are for NASA internal use or for other Government Agencies (OGAs) only.

3. SCOPE

The Government intends to establish a Provider Pool (“Pool”) by awarding contracts to multiple vendors who are capable of providing flight opportunities to a variety of Program-sponsored payloads on various platforms (including, but not limited to, balloons and suborbital launch vehicles, sLV). The Government prefers to contract for a single payload position (hereafter referred to as a “slot”) and require the vendor to fill the remaining manifest and set the schedule for flights. This does not preclude the possibility for the Government, at its discretion, to purchase an entire manifest, to require multiple payloads be flown together on a single platform, or for the Government to procure multiple payload slots on a single flight.

The contracts shall be for comprehensive services inclusive of flight and payload integration services. Each vendor may propose providing these comprehensive services through in-house or subcontracted means. Each successful vendor will receive an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, with the opportunity to propose on Task Orders issued by the Government to fly payloads. A Task Order is defined as a request from the Government to the vendor (hereafter the “Contractor”) to fulfill the requirements of the Manifest Requirements

Document (MRD) for a given payload or payloads. The MRD is defined as the document that establishes the payload operational requirements, mission performance requirements, data delivery requirements, payload access requirements, and the mission exit criteria. The MRD is developed by the Government based on information furnished by the Payload Provider. The MRD will be issued to the Provider Pool as part of a Task Order solicitation. A Task Order solicitation may contain requirements for flying one or more payloads on one or more flights. It is anticipated that the Government will issue multiple Task Orders to the Contractors in the Provider Pool during the period of performance of the contract. Each Contractor awarded a Task Order shall supply comprehensive flight and payload integration services in accordance with the requirements identified in the Task Order. It is anticipated that Task Orders will be issued on a competitive basis in those cases where more than one vendor in the Pool is capable of providing the required services.

The Government intends to periodically provide opportunities for additional contractors and/or Qualified Vehicles to be added to the Provider Pool (“Ramp-On”). The requirements for Ramp- On shall be identical to those used for initially establishing the Provider Pool of Qualified Vehicles, as outlined below. The Government may also consider future expansion of the performance capabilities (“flight profiles”) covered by this contract, by soliciting proposals from all qualified sources capable of meeting the requirements in the expanded flight profiles.

4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

4.1. Qualified Vehicles and Qualified Vehicle Families

Contractors shall utilize only those flight vehicles or family of flight vehicles that were proposed in response to this solicitation and accepted by the Government as Qualified (Qualified Vehicles - “QVs” or Qualified Vehicle Families – “QVF”) to provide services under this contract. A QVF shall be a group of closely related flight vehicles (closely similar in characteristics with different performance or payload capacities) that fly similar flight profile(s). The Government shall be the sole authority for determining if a Vehicle or Vehicle Family is Qualified.

4.2. Operating Requirements

4.2.1. Independent Operations

The Contractor shall operate independently from the Government, except that payloads may be Government-owned or provided.

4.2.1.1. The Contractor may propose the use of unique Government-owned ground and range facilities on a fully-reimbursable basis, but in no way shall that release the Contractor from full responsibility for all aspects of flight and ground operations. All such arrangements shall be the sole responsibility of the Contractor.

4.2.1.2. All end items and services provided through this contract, including

(but not limited to) payload slot(s) on QVs, QV components, subsystems, ground support equipment and facilities, and contracted services shall not be Government provided, owned, or operated.

4.2.1.3. The Contractor shall be solely responsible for obtaining appropriate permits, licenses, waivers, and/or flight approvals.

4.2.1.4. The Contractor shall be solely responsible for Ground and Flight

Safety, Mission Assurance, and Environmental compliance in accordance with local, state, and Federal regulations.

4.2.1.5. The Contractor shall provide all QV systems engineering, payload integration, and any other required services.

4.2.1.6. Once a task order has been accepted by the Contractor, the Contractor shall be responsible for timely communications of detailed information about the flight and other services to the Government and the Payload Provider, including, but not limited to, changes in vehicle readiness and other changes that affect the flight schedule.

4.2.2. Government Observers

The Contractor shall provide access to Contractor facilities by Government observers, on a non-interference, ad hoc basis.

4.2.3. Commercial Operations

The Contractor shall be capable of providing payload slots on QVs with commercial flight operations, offered to the general public for pay.

4.2.4. Reusability of Qualified Vehicles

It is strongly desired that the Contractor utilize QVs with major components that are reusable to the greatest extent possible with reasonable refurbishment within a reasonable time frame. Rockets and spacecraft should be capable of reuse within 60 days between flights. Balloons and other types of flight vehicles should be fully recoverable and reusable, excepting items that are expended in the normal flight operations of the vehicle.

4.2.5. Security and Recoverability of Payloads

The following requirements shall apply to all flight operations.

4.2.5.1. Payloads shall be considered expendable test articles with no NASA mission purpose other than the demonstration of various technologies in relevant environments.

4.2.5.2. Notwithstanding section 4.2.5.1, Contractor shall assume complete responsibility for physical security of payloads upon receiving payloads from the payload provider, until payloads are released back into provider’s custody.

4.2.5.3. Notwithstanding section 4.2.5.1, payloads have value to the payload providers. The Contractor shall make reasonable effort to return payloads to the payload provider within 10 working days from completion of final flight operation, and with no damage exceeding normal wear-and-tear and exhaustion of expendable items.

4.2.6. Accessibility of Payload and Payload Data

Unless modified within the governing Task Order, the following requirements shall apply to all flight operations.

4.2.6.1. Payload providers shall be permitted access to their payloads both before and after hazardous operations and before flights. Detailed requirements for access shall be specified as part of the MRD/MID process.

4.2.6.2. The Contractor shall allow the Payload Provider access to payloads between flights for servicing and data recovery in a multi-flight campaign.

5. FLIGHT PROFILE REQUIREMENTS

Flight profile requirements will vary greatly for any given payload. The proposed profile performance of the flight vehicle will be evaluated during the Task Order evaluation process based on the requirements in the Manifest Requirements Document (MRD) for each specific payload. Typical flight profile requirements are listed below. The Government may include additional profiles within the general scope of this effort at a future date by use of the Technology Expansion Provision.

Contractors shall provide one or more of the listed profiles for each QV or QV family. In some cases a QV may be qualified for more than one profile.

All flight vehicles shall be capable of carrying a minimum total payload mass of 5 kg, and accommodating a minimum total payload volume equivalent to 5U CubeSat. The Government may require more or less mass and volume for a particular payload; actual payload requirements will vary and be dependent upon actual QV capabilities and payload mass and volume requirements as specified in each MRD.

Profiles are described from the perspective of the payload, not the flight vehicle. These profiles represent typical minimum requirements for payloads. Actual requirements issued in an MRD may vary from those specified here.

5.1. Profile 1 (P1): Reduced gravity with space environment

Payload is typically an experiment requiring two (2) or more minutes of continuous microgravity and/or exposure to the space environment. Requirement is to ascend to a minimum of 80km above mean sea level (MSL), desired ≥ 100km MSL, and expose the payload to a total gravitational vector of less than +/- 0.005g (RMS) under stable gravitational conditions in all axes for at least two (2) minutes. Some payloads may also require the simultaneous exposure of the payload to near-vacuum and low temperature. This is typically accomplished by use of a sounding rocket or spacecraft. Vehicles that can achieve the required altitude and reduced gravity but cannot expose the payload to the outside environment may also be qualified for this profile.

5.2. Profile 2 (P2): Exposure to high altitude

Payload is typically a remote sensing package or other system being qualified for use on satellites or other spacecraft. Requirement is to expose payload to the near-space environment at a minimum of 30km MSL with a flight time of 1 hour or greater, followed by a descent to 0 AGL. This is typically accomplished by use of an untethered balloon with parachute descent. The descent portion of this profile may also be utilized to test experimental parachutes or similar atmospheric descent systems.

5.3. Profile 3 (P3): Space environment with free-fall descent

Payload typically involves testing of systems and components such as thermal protection or decelerators for objects reentering a planetary atmosphere.

Requirement is to attain a minimum of 80km MSL, typically ≥ 100km MSL, followed by a rapid free-fall descent of the payload to 0 km AGL. This is typically accomplished by use of a sounding rocket or spacecraft with the payload ejected at apogee.

5.4. Profile 4 (P4): Controlled descent with controlled vertical landing

Payload is typically an experiment to test concepts for planetary landers.

Requirement is to descend from a minimum of 250m above ground level (AGL) to 0m AGL, under controlled rocket-powered flight and conduct a controlled vertical landing. Some payloads may require controlled horizontal translation of up to 1 km.

Some applications may require allowing the payload to actively control portions of the flight profile. This is typically accomplished by use of a spacecraft or a vertical flight testbed.

5.5. Profile 5 (P5): Controlled high altitude ascent and descent

Payload is typically a remote sensing system for planetary entry, high-altitude atmospheric measurements, or similar applications. Requirement is to ascend to a minimum of 30km MSL along a controlled trajectory, spend 1 or more minutes above 30km MSL, and then descend back to 0 AGL along a controlled trajectory.

Payloads may require access to the external environment to make observations. The objective is to provide a predetermined flight path, with capability to loiter at 30KM for short (1 min +/-) durations, while maintaining stable altitude +/-1KM. It would be desirable to have the capability of accepting control inputs from the payload. It would also be desirable to provide the payload a view of the earth below. Landing should be sufficient to recover the payload intact, which may entail either a soft landing or a parachute recovery. This is typically accomplished by use of a spacecraft. Some payloads may be required to achieve short durations of reduced gravity under this flight profile.

6. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Unless modified within the governing Task Order, the following requirements shall apply to all contractors.

6.1. Reviews and Documents

6.1.1. Payload User Guide (PUG)

For each QV or QV family (as necessary), the Contractor shall provide to the Government a Payload User Guide (PUG), to be made available to the Payload Provider.

The PUG is the Contractor-provided documentation that defines the payload interfaces of the QV, including, but not limited to, the mechanical, electrical, communication, information/data, and environmental interface requirements.

6.1.2. Mission Implementation Document (MID)

The Contractor shall develop a Mission Implementation Document (MID) in response to Task Order solicitations to which the Contractor chooses to respond. The MID is defined as the document that establishes the agreement between the Contractor and the Government, and documents how the MRD will be implemented, including deviations from the MRD.

6.1.3. Payload Acceptance and Readiness Review (PRR)

The Contractor shall accept the payload for integration and flight. The Payload Provider will conduct a Payload Readiness Review (PRR) with the Contractor prior to delivery of the payload. The Contractor can refuse to accept any payload that does not meet the requirements of the MID.

6.2. Flight Service Requirements

The Contractor shall provide flight service on a vehicle that meets the requirements of the

MID.

6.2.1. Flight Approvals

The Contractor shall obtain and provide written evidence of all required flight approvals, including (but not limited to) permits, licenses, or waivers for operation, as applicable, from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or other governing authority for the flight activity.

6.2.2. Flight Operations Responsibility

The Contractor shall assume total responsibility for all flight operations, which includes provision of the flight range, operational facilities, and all required personnel. This also includes responsibility for mission security, flight safety and mission assurance, environmental compliance, range safety, and personnel safety and health.

6.3. Payload Integration

The Contractor shall provide payload integration service on the flight vehicle.

6.3.1. The Contractor shall integrate the payload into the flight vehicle system(s).

6.3.2. The Contractor shall perform a payload operational readiness and payload safety mitigation review.

6.3.3. The Contractor shall ensure that the payload meets the interface requirements of the Payload User’s Guide.

6.3.4. The Contractor shall provide and operate the appropriate payload facilities and payload support equipment for the payload integration activity.

6.3.5. The Contractor shall manage the interface control document (ICD) between the payload and the flight vehicle.

6.3.6. The Contractor shall integrate the payload operation, including telemetry and command, into the flight operation.

6.3.7. The Contractor shall ensure that the payload, as integrated and while operating, is compatible with the vehicle systems and other payloads.

7. SPECIAL PROJECTS

7.1. Special Projects:

The Contractor shall provide reports, plans, studies, or other similar deliverables within the general scope of this contract. The requirements for Special Projects shall be further delineated by the issuance of Task Orders.

7.2. Non-Standard Services (NSS):

The Contractor shall perform necessary modifications or additions to payload slots to accommodate unique payload requirements, within the general capabilities of the QV but not within the definition of a Standard Flight Payload Slot. There are some NSS that are frequently requested (termed “common”) and others that are infrequent or unusual in nature (termed “uncommon”). Uncommon NSS cannot be anticipated prior to assignment of payloads. The requirements for NSS shall be further delineated by the MRD/MID process.

8. GENERAL DELIVERABLES

The following items shall be general deliverables applicable to services under this contract.

There will also be specific deliverables as required by each task order. These deliverables are not applicable to Special Projects (Section 7.1).

8.1. Payload User’s Guide (PUG)

Contractor shall provide a Payload User’s Guide for each Qualified Vehicle or QV Family. The PUG is the documentation that defines the payload interfaces of the QV, including, but not limited to, mechanical, electrical, communication, information/data, and environmental interfaces. The draft and final submission will be defined in the Task order.

8.2. Mission Implementation Document (MID)

Contractor shall provide a Mission Implementation Document (MID) for each Task Order. The MID is the document that establishes the agreement between the Contractor and the Government, and documents how the MRD has been implemented, including any proposed deviations.

8.3. Flight Data Report

Contractor shall provide a Flight Data Report for each flight performed under this contract. The Flight Data Report is the summary of the flight operation as related to the requirements of the MID and the Task Order. The Flight Data Report includes formatted data item deliverables as specified in the Task Order. The due date for each report shall be no later than 10 business days after the flight.

9. DEFINITIONS

Above Ground Level or “AGL” is defined as a measured distance above nominal ground level for the local area under consideration.

Contractor is defined as a business entity who has been awarded a contract under this solicitation and provides both flight and payload integration services.

Flight is defined as any contracted flight operation performed under this contract, regardless of type of vehicle or mode of propulsion.

Flight Data Report is defined as a summary of the flight operation as related to the requirements of the MID and the Task Order. The Flight Data Report includes formatted data item deliverables as specified in the Task Order.

Launch Vehicle (LV or Vehicle) is any means used to fly a payload under this contract, regardless of mode of propulsion (e.g. rocket, spacecraft, balloon).

Manifest Requirements Document (MRD) is defined as the document that establishes the payload operational requirements, mission performance requirements, data delivery requirements, payload access requirements, and the mission exit criteria; the MRD is developed by the Government based on information furnished by the Payload Provider. The MRD will be issued to the Contractor(s) as part of a Task Order solicitation.

Mean Seal Level or “MSL” is defined as a measured distance above the industry standard datum of globally averaged ocean surface height.

Microgravity (for the purposes of this acquisition) is defined as extremely low values of acceleration in all axes of the payload.

Mission Implementation Document (MID) is defined as the document that establishes the agreement between the Contractor and the Government, and documents how the MRD has been implemented including deviations.

Non-standard Services (NSS) are those services that are not provided as part of the standard priced payload slot. “Common” NSS are those that may be routinely requested by payload providers, and “Uncommon” NSS are those that are unique to an individual payload and are not easily anticipated prior to the assignment of the manifest.

Payloads are expendable test articles with no NASA mission purpose other than the demonstration of various technologies in relevant environments.

Payload Integration is defined as integration of a payload to the Flight Vehicle, while ensuring that the interfaces to other payloads and to the Flight Vehicle are compatible and that the mission requirements of the Payload Provider are met.

Payload Provider is defined as the entity that provides a Program-sponsored payload.

Payload User’s Guide (“PUG”) is the Contractor-provided documentation that defines the payload interfaces of the QV or QV Family, including, but not limited to, mechanical, electrical, communication, information/data, and environmental interfaces. The PUG should also list the common NSS that are routinely available.

Provider Pool is the list of vendors with QVs accepted by the Government for providing services under this contract.

Qualified Vehicle (or “QV”) is a launch vehicle that was proposed in response to this solicitation and accepted by the Government as Qualified to provide services under this contract.

QV Family (or “QVF”) is a group of closely related flight vehicles (closely similar in characteristics with different performance or capacities) that fly similar flight profile(s).

The Government shall be the sole authority for determining if a Vehicle Family is Qualified.

Slot is defined as a single payload space or seat. Vehicles may have one or more slots available for purchase.

Standard Flight Payload Slot is the payload space and interfaces on a QV offered as a standard commercial product by the flight services provider.

Successful Flight is defined as a flight that has successfully and safely met all of the requirements of the Task Order.

Task Order is defined as a contractual agreement by the Vendor(s) to the Government that fulfills the requirements of the MID for a given payload or payloads.

Vendor and Contractor are synonymous.