AFSS RFI for FTS services_16 Aug 2024.docx

SECTION I PURPOSE/TERMS

PURPOSE:

1) This is a Request for Information. SSC AA/S3/5/8, Space Launch Delta 30 (SLD 30), and SLD 45 seek vendor capability information in support of the scope and requirements listed in Section II and Ill. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI constitutes neither a Request for Proposal (RFP), nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. This RFI should not be construed as a commitment by the government for any purpose. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. The government will not reimburse contractors for any cost associated with preparing or submitting a response to this notice. Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS), and contractors serving in the role of Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) will be reviewing data submitted in response to this RFI; respective employees have standard Non-Disclosure Agreements available to the cognizant Government contracting offices.

2) This RFI will identify solutions to develop, integrate, test, field, operate, maintain, and sustain (OM&S) new Launch and Test Range System (LTRS) capabilities at the Eastern Range, located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Western Range, located at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The government may issue additional RFl's regarding the subject header which may be issued sequentially or concurrently with varying suspense dates. This information will be used to further assist the government's understanding of the solution sets to designed to augment capability gaps.

TERMS OF THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION:

1) The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this Request For Information or reimburse any costs associated with the preparation of responses.

2) This Request For Information is issued solely for informational and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation.

3) All information received in response to this notice marked "Proprietary" will be handled accordingly.

4) In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

5) Responses to this Request For Information will assist in determining the potential level of interest, competition adequacy, and technical capabilities of industry respondents to provide the required products and services.

6) SSC/S3 AA3/5/8 may also use this information to assist in developing any subsequent subcontract plans and small business goal percentages.

7) The Government may choose not to respond to questions posed in industry responses. However, this notice may be amended or updated and reissued, as determined by the Government.

8) The Government does not guarantee any action beyond this notice.

9) Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

10) Responses that are not submitted per SECTION IV below will not be reviewed.

SECTION II. BACKGROUND/SCOPE

BACKGROUND

1) The Eastern Range (ER), located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Western Range (WR), located at Vandenberg Space Force Base, are the nation’s primary spaceports for providing commercial, civil, and military access to space. The ER & WR are key in advancing USSF capabilities while maintaining U.S. military, civil, and commercial space superiority. Space launch ranges provide a critical linkage to the civil and commercial space industry helping to advance commerce, transform national space lift capabilities, and are essential to DoD weapon system test and evaluation (T&E) programs.

2) The ranges are experiencing historic growth in launch demand, with growth expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Launch range transformation is paramount to keeping pace with and advancing our nation's space economy and warfighting missions.

3) Spaceport of the Future (SOTF) is a proactive, comprehensive initiative that will transform the launch ranges to allow them to stay ahead of launch demand, enhance their agility, and reduce cost. SOTF consists of lines of effort to reform range architecture, base infrastructure, policy, operational practices, and management.

4) As part of SOTF, the ER/WR are transitioning from a traditional, ground-based Flight Termination System (FTS) to Autonomous Flight Safety Systems (AFSS). AFSS automates the flight termination system by removing the human-in-the-loop and places all command destruct (CD) equipment on-board the launch vehicle. By eliminating the ground equipment portion of the flight safety system, the launch ranges can conduct multiple, simultaneous operations on a substantially faster cadence, thereby improving launch range turn-around time, capacity, agility, and cost efficiency.

5) The USSF has mandated all spacelift providers on the ER/WR shall transition to AFSS no later than 1 Oct 2025 and all DoD T&E test programs no later than 1 Oct 2030. After these deadlines, the ER/WR will no longer provide traditional, ground-based, flight termination services. Spacelift providers and DoD Test programs that fail to meet these deadlines are required to provide their own flight termination services.

6) Not all launch and test providers will meet their mandated AFSS deadline. Select spacelift launch providers and DoD test programs will need to secure alternative means for providing their flight termination services. This RFI is seeking information from vendors who can provide flight termination services for these range customers on the ER and WR. The RFI will assist in planning for a solution to bridge the time between range-provided ground-based, flight termination services phase-out and when all launch and test providers are AFSS compliant.

7) Ground-based flight termination services, also commonly called positive control services, consists of a range metric tracking system, range safety system, and a command destruct system. Together, the three systems provide the capability for a human in-the-loop to monitor the performance of an in-flight launch vehicle and evaluate it against mission flight safety rules. In the event of a vehicle malfunction or a violation of mission flight safety rules that that potentially hazards public safety, commands are securely transmitted to the errant vehicle to terminate its flight to contain debris and toxins within predefined boundaries to protect public safety.

SCOPE

1) This notice is seeking industry input to identify acceptable flight termination capabilities/services for customers on the ER and WR who do not meet the mandatory AFSS deadlines. The scope of the RFI includes identifying an acceptable solution to providing range safety service with adequate command destruct coverage primarily to support Trident II tests at ER and Minuteman III tests at WR, as well as coverage for potential civil and commercial spacelift missions at both ranges. Interested companies shall respond in accordance with (IAW) Section IV of this document. The Government will assess the responses received to this notice IAW the requirements set forth in Sections III and VI of this notification.

SECTION III FUNCTIONALITY/REQUIREMENTS

1) Broad Options.

a) The government requests feedback on two options for a vendor to provide flight termination services to range customers. These options are intended to spur creative thinking on the topic and does not restrict the vendor from considering additional options.

i) “FTS in a Box”. The vendor delivers a complete, self-contained technical solution to provide its own range tracking system, range safety system, and command destruct system. The solution will include the necessary equipment to support range safety pre-launch preparation, in-flight public safety decisions, post-launch archival, diagnostic, analysis, and test in accordance with the requirements in section III. The vendor is responsible for the OM&S of their solution and for integrating and coordinating with the Space Force Range Contract (SFRC) contractor. The launch ranges may provide power, voice communication network, and local spaceport data transport network. Government may also allocate space in government owned locations for siting of transportable equipment, or government owned facilities to house the vendor’s fixed location solutions, as necessary. The vendor may propose to provide trained, certified, and proficient personnel as Mission Flight Control Officers responsible for executing the mission flight rules, or the vendor may propose that government personnel fill the MFCO role.

ii) “Integrated Solution”. The vendor delivers a flight termination system that requires some degree of government furnished equipment and/or government furnished data. The vendor’s solution may utilize and accept OM&S responsibility for the range safety system and command destruct system equipment identified in section III as required for their solution. Vendor is responsible for the OM&S of the transferred GFE and for creating the necessary interfaces to ingest the government furnished range tracking system data and other operational data as needed from the other launch range data sources (i.e. weather data, voice, timing, count, etc.). The launch ranges may also provide power, voice communication equipment, and local spaceport data transport network. Government may also allocate space in government owned locations for siting of transportable equipment, or government owned facilities to house the vendor’s fixed location solutions, as necessary. The vendor may propose to provide trained and certified personnel as Mission Flight Control Officers responsible for executing the mission flight rules, or the vendor may propose that government personnel fill the MFCO role.

b) A potential limitation associated with known current vendor alternatives to the legacy ER and WR Command Destruct Systems is the restriction by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of licenses to operate with only up to 2KW of the 10 kW power provided by the legacy CD systems at ER and WR. This power limitation reduces the ability to maintain the required link margin at distances required to cover long-range test flights of Trident II on the ER and Minuteman III on the WR through the end of Range Safety responsibility. Vendors are encouraged to consider creative solutions to meet link margins, such as using range support aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, or ships with onboard telemetry receive and command destruct capabilities. Mobile command destruct transmit antenna deployed downrange can also be considered to meet mandatory command destruct coverage.

2) Overview of ER & WR

a. The ER and WR are distinguished by their size compared to other MRTFB ranges. Vendor solution must provide flight termination services with adequate command destruct coverage to support Trident II tests at ER and Minuteman III tests at WR, as well as coverage for potential civil and commercial spacelift missions at both ranges. Figure 1 displays the relative size of the ER (areas 1 and 1a) and WR (areas 2 and 2a) that require flight termination coverage.

2.a 1.a Both halves of Figure 1 are to the same approximate scale.

Figure 1 – MRTFB Range Coverage Map

i) Area 1 is for all ER customers. Nominal coverage out to 1500 Statute miles, 12dB Link Margin, 1,664,000 Square miles

ii) Area 1a is for ER Trident II test. Nominal coverage out to 2100 Statute miles, 9db Link Margin

iii) Trident II tests may involve up to two missiles in-flight concurrently

iv) Area 2 is all WR customers. Nominal coverage out to 1500 Statute miles, 12dB Link Margin, 2,200,000 Square miles

v) Area 2a is WR Minuteman III test. Nominal coverage out to 1300 Statute miles, 12dB Link Margin.

3) Vendor Supplied Flight Termination Service required functionality, characteristics, capabilities

a) Functional Description

i) The range tracking systems collect, process and transport vehicle metric tracking information and performance data and transport to the range safety system (as required) for determination of vehicle flight against safe flight criteria. Range tracking systems include airborne GPS (Translated or GPS Flight Receiver) track data, Inertial Measurement unit data (IG Data), or ground radar skin track metric data.

ii) The range safety system processes and displays instrumentation tracking data and vehicle metric data from a variety of sources, to include: radar, vehicle global positioning system (GPS), inertial guidance system telemetered data, and Translated Global Positioning System Range System (TGRS) data. In addition, the Range Safety System performs other activities, such as pre-launch preparation (OD 12A), recurring training, mission specific training, OD 16A evaluation, post-launch archival, diagnostic, analysis, and test activities.

iii) The command destruct system transmits encoded commands to launch vehicles in flight. Command Destruct is used to provide Range Safety protection for all launches and to prevent errant missiles from endangering persons or property adjacent to the Range.

b) General Requirements/Characteristics/Features

i) General requirements for range operations are captured in the LTRS System Specification rev O dated 9/25/2018 – See “Attachment D – LTRS System Spec Rev O”

ii) Section 1.a.i addresses those capabilities in LTRS SSS Rev O and specifically paragraphs 3.2.7, 3.2.9,.3.2.10, 3.2.11, 3.2.12 as well as general requirements for integrating with the LTRS to send/receive mission voice, receiving schedule updates, timing for synchronization of instrumentation, count for coordination of countdown activities and plus-count requirements, weather alerts and warnings, providing real-time system status to the Launch Decision Authority (LDA) (voice), record/playback of all mission data, and supporting unclassified as well as “SECRET” multi-missile operations.

iii) Section 1.a.ii would be relegated to the OM&S aspects of the range safety system and the command destruct system elements and ensuring their continued availability and reliability as specified in LTRS SSS Rev O.

iv) The detailed requirements source for the ER and WR CD systems is the “Requirements Specification for the Launch and Test Range System (LTRS) Positive Control Subsystem (PCSS)” Document No. 11-025, Revision C SCR 002, 15 January 2018. Link margin requirements are in Section 3.2.7.3, Power on Target.

4) Overview of flight termination system

a) Government Furnished Equipment Transferability

i) Eastern Range. The range safety and command destruct equipment that can be severed from the ER LTRS and transferred (in situ) to the vendor for their OM&S as described in Broad Option 1.a.ii

· See “Attachment A – RSSS Range Safety Elements”

· See “Attachment B – CDSS Command Destruct Elements”

· The ER has a working engineering development model (EDM) testbed in Building 981 at Patrick Space Force Base. The test bed represents a complete replica of the Central Command Management System (CCMS) and a command transmitter site (CTS). It is a completely redundant system with two 10kW transmitters piped into two separate dummy loads. For the “Integrated Solution” option, the EDM can be used to provide the development resources for vendor development testing. Once the developmental phase is complete, the vendor solution can then be interfaced with the required range instrumentation and/or government-furnished range data. The command transmitter site Cape 1B can be used to test/certify the solution under a real test environment scenario. See “Attachment E – TBUM”

ii) Western Range. The range safety and command destruct equipment that can be severed from the WR LTRS and transferred (in situ) to the vendor for their OM&S as described in Broad Option 1.a.ii

· See “Attachment F_WR User Handbook Feb 2023”

· See “Attachment G_ Range Instrumentation Handbook (WR) Feb 2022”

· The WR has a Command Transmitter (CT) Console Test Bed, Central Command System (CCS) Test Bed, and Antenna Test Bed in Bldg 6525. The CT console test bed includes CT consoles and simulators for the RF Switching System and the transmitters. The CCS test bed is a full replica of the operational CCS, including the MFCO Command Panels, and includes six command transmitter site simulators. The CCS test bed can be connected to the CT Console Test Bed. The Antenna Test Bed includes a complete ViaSat 15 ft dish antenna system and Antenna Control Units, identical to those used at CT1 and CT4. Lastly, there is an Itelco transmitter test bed and HPA test fixture, located in the Depot, that permits technicians to check out suspect units from the CT site transmitters. The HPA test fixture is specifically for troubleshooting HPA modules.

b) Government Furnished Data - See “Attachment C_MOC ICDRevE 2018” for the typical data formats as follows.

i) Telemetry Inertial Guidance (TMIG) Note: Specific telemetry downlink formats are vehicle specific and vendor proprietary. Special permissions will be required to obtain those when needed.

ii) GPS Metric Tracking (GPSMT)

iii) Radar Metric Tracking

iv) Translated GPS Range System (TGRS)

v) High Density Data (HDD) Pointing Data

vi) Optics

5) Minimum Requirements

Compliance or acceptable tailoring with the following requirement documents including but not limited to:

a) Space System Command Instruction (SSCI) documents, (publicly available from https://www.e-publishing.af.mil/):

· SSCI 91-701, “Safety”, The Space Systems Command Launch and Range Safety Program, Chapter 6, dated 27 December 2022.

· SSCI 91-710 Volume 3, “Safety”. Range Safety User Requirements Manual - Launch Vehicles, Payloads, and Ground Support Systems Requirements, dated 27 December 2022.

b) Range Commander’s Council (RCC) documents, (publicly available from https://www.trmc.osd.mil/wiki/display/publicRCC/Public+RCC+Home/):

· RCC 319-19, Flight Termination Systems Commonality Standard.

· RCC 324-11, Global Positioning and Inertial Measurements Range Safety Tracking Systems Commonality Standard.

Note: An initial link margin estimate should be made to determine if RCC 319 and RCC 324 requirements can be met. Upon initial feasibility determination, a System Toolkit (STK) antenna study will be required to ensure link margin requirements can be met for customer vehicles and trajectories. Analysis may involve both unclassified and classified data as well as individual and simultaneous launch vehicles (e.g. Trident on the ER).

c) Existing system functionalities (i.e. command or telemetry) designed with older versions of RCC documents, and/or previous Range documents would be considered in the tailoring process. Examples include:

· Air Force Space Command Instruction (AFSCI) 91-710 and 91-711

· Eastern and Western Range Safety Policies and Processes (EWR 127-1)

d) For command destruct functionalities, familiarity with ER and WR command requirements would be helpful:

· Combined Command Destruct System, Range Safety Requirements for the 30th and 45th Space Wings, dated 9 Feb 2012. (Sensitive. Will be provided later).

e) Cyber compliance for vendor systems connected to the LTRS (TBD)

f) The requirements for initial training, certification, and periodic proficiency training for vendor-supplied Mission Flight Control Officers (MFCO) is TBD. Current SLD training and certification programs for MFCOs are attached for reference:

· 1 ROPS Operating Instruction 13-101; Crew Force Management, Training, And Evaluation Program Requirements; 28 June 2022

· SLD 30 Safety S/MFCO Training and Certification; 1 June 2021

SECTION IV. INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS:

If your company is interested in submitting information related to this acquisition, please note the following timeline and instructions.

TIMELINE

1) Information Packages Due: 28 August 2024 by 1630 Eastern (Due to time constraints, extensions will not be granted).

2) The government may schedule a virtual Q&A meeting with respondents that submit complete information packages by 28 August 2024 deadline. Should the government pursue this option, the Q&A session will be held on 30 August 2024. Respondents will be offered an opportunity to supplement their initial RFI response after the virtual meeting. If the virtual meeting takes place, the final RFI response date will be due 04 September 2024.

3) All attachments mentioned in this RFI will be made available NLT 23 August 2024, pending CUI approval.

4) All interested parties will be required to complete, sign and return the attached FTS Restricted Access Request form before receiving access to attachments.

5) All interested contractors must be registered in SAM.gov before receiving access to attachments.

INSTRUCTIONS

1) If your company decides to respond to this RFI, please provide "whitepapers" on technology-specific solutions and service models, practices/experience IAW the instructions in Sections V and VI below, and ensure you respond to the questions identified therein. Email typed responses IAW these instructions to:

Rasnizi Cobb at rasnizi.cobb@spaceforce.mil, phone: 321-494-4394 Kenyatta Harper at kenyatta.harper@spaceforce.mil, phone: 321-494-5165

2) Please use read and delivery receipts.

3) Please contact the individuals below if a Classified response is warranted:

Rasnizi Cobb at rasnizi.cobb@spaceforce.mil, phone: 321-494-4394 Kenyatta Harper at kenyatta.harper@spaceforce.mil, phone: 321-494-5165

4) Proprietary Information if any is provided, needs to be clearly marked as proprietary, e.g., "Company X Proprietary Information, Reason (Intellectual Property, Competition Sensitive, etc.)" and will be protected in accordance with DoD Instruction 5200.48. Responses sent will not be returned to the provider.

5) To review responses, proprietary information may be given to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that work for the Aerospace Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), and contractors serving in the roles of Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) and Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA). Disclosure of PRO PIN outside of government channels and their contract is STRICTLY PROHIBITED for SETA, A&AS, and FFRDC support to the government that they have access to.

6) Interested companies shall respond to the questions in Section VI, tailored to the requirements on 8.5'' x 11" pages with the font no smaller than 10 point. Any supporting literature from your organization must be identified as such and explain what it supports.

7) All responses to be UNCLASSIFIED, however; if additional information is warranted at the CLASSIFIED level, please contact the individuals identified above for further submission instructions. Do NOT transmit classified material to the emails identified

8) Email UNCLASSIFIED submissions either directly to the POCs listed above or via DoD-Safe.

9) Any further questions regarding this RFI shall be directed to contacts identified above

SECTION V. COMPANY INFORMATION

1) The Government requests the following information be included on the title page and subsequent pages as necessary. This information will not count against the response page limit, and should be included for your company and any teaming or joint venture partners:

• Company Name

• Address

• Point of Contact

• CAGE/UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) Code

• System for Award Management registration expiration date

• Phone Number

• E-mail Address

• Web Page URL

• Additionally, please identify which NAICS code or PSC code is best suited for this requirement.

SECTION VI. QUESTIONS:

Please provide a capability narrative for the proposed solution addressing the following questions. The Narrative shall not exceed 12 pages in length. Cover pages with company information are not included in the 12-page limit. Supporting literature and assumptions will not count towards the page limit.

Questions:

1. Summarize your company's experience with the development, testing, integration, fielding, operation, maintenance, and sustainment of launch range instrumentation, range safety and command destruct equipment, and Automated Flight Safety Systems. Summarize your company’s experience with delivering services to Major Range Test Facility Base (MRTFB) or its customers. Focus on any recent (within the last 5 years) or ongoing performance, best practices, and any accreditations and certifications the company and/or key personnel hold.

1. Describe your company’s current ability to conduct the requirements outlined in SECTION III.

1. Describe your company’s system design and service concept to conduct the requirements outlined in SECTION III.

1. Does the company have any concerns with or recommendations on any changes to the service options outlined in SECTION III based on company/industry best practices?

1. Describe how your company would mitigate programmatic and operational risk associated with limited access to the launch range instrumentation due to high launch and test operations tempo.

1. Provide a draft milestone schedule to develop, test, integrate, and certify your solution. For initial planning purposes, vendors may assume you will have scheduling access to operational LTRS assets (those not transferred to the vendor) for the purpose of integration and testing five days a month during normal business operating hours.

1. Are there any other areas the company can identify that the government would benefit from if added or incorporated into future RFIs or RFPs?

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