A-BOX_ Industry-Day-Charts.pdf

This document is a presentation for the Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Glovebox Systems – Design & Fabrication (A-BOX) Industry Day held on September 16, 2026.

NASA Johnson Space Center is conducting a competitive procurement (Solicitation Number: 80JSC026A-BOX) for the design and fabrication of custom glovebox systems to support the Artemis program's sample curation operations. The contract is classified as NAICS Code 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) with a size standard of 1,000 employees. The period of performance is contemplated as June 1, 2027 through May 31, 2032. The contract type is to be determined, with possible consideration of a Single Award IDIQ Contract with Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Delivery Orders. Industry feedback on contract type options is actively solicited. The Government anticipates issuing a Draft Request for Proposal (RFP) on November 6, 2026, followed by a Final RFP on December 14, 2026, with a Pre-Proposal Conference on December 17, 2026, and contract award targeted for May 18, 2027.

The procurement requires design and fabrication of notionally seven custom glovebox designs totaling approximately 17 units to support ambient and cold sample handling for Artemis lunar sample curation. Specific glovebox configurations include double-sided preliminary examination, large and small single-sided processing units, storage twins, cold sample flight hardware receiving, and cold well preliminary examination and processing/storage units. The baseline requirement for cold sample units is an -85°C working volume with strict contamination control specifications including ISO 5-6 cleanroom standards and material restrictions limited to 300 series stainless steel, PTFE, and Viton. Anticipated contract requirements encompass project requirements definition, design and fabrication, contract management and administration, documentation and data reporting, and delivery and integration.