Attachment 2 - T1DES Proposal Instructions.pdf

HQ085022R0001 Attachment 2

National Defense Space Architecture

Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES)

Proposal Instructions

8 Oct 2021

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.

Introduction

The Offeror shall submit their Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES) proposal via five (5) volumes. Specific volume contents and associated page limits are detailed below.

Volume I – Governance shall contain a detailed description of the Offeror’s proposed program management, systems engineering and engineering approaches, processes, and tools for executing the program on schedule and within the price proposed. This volume shall also contain résumés for key personnel that will perform the T1DES program and a complete listing of data rights asserted by the Offeror and all of its subcontractors.

Volume II – Technical shall contain a detailed description of the Offeror’s proposed technical solution to accomplish the requirements defined in Attachment 1 – Statement of

Work and Technical Requirements Document

Volume III – Schedule shall contain a full Integrated Master Schedule. This volume shall also provide: an analysis of schedule risks; identification of key milestones; entrance criteria, key accomplishments and exit criteria for significant reviews and activities; and a clear presentation and analysis of the critical path from contract award through space vehicle (SV) delivery. Any dependencies anticipated by the Offeror based on the Tranche

1 Transport Layer (T1TL) program shall be clearly identified and risk mitigation activities

– if required – clearly explained.

Volume IV – Price and Rationale shall contain the Offeror’s Firm Fixed Price and associated detail. This volume shall also include the Offeror’s Small Business Utilization

Plan and/or Small Business Participation Commitment Document. Any anticipated cost savings anticipated based on the T1TL program shall be identified if present.

Volume V – Experience and Past Performance should contain at least one (1) and may contain up to four (4) recent (within the last five (5) years), relevant examples of on-time, on-cost/price delivery of complex systems, subsystems, or components, preferably space-related hardware or software. Offerors shall also include at least one (1) and up to two (2) past performance examples for each major teammate. The Offeror shall also submit past performance information to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of FAR

Subpart 52.219-9.

Submission Instructions

SDA requests that Offerors submit only electronic proposals. All Volumes along with any appendices and/or attachments shall be submitted only in .pdf format and must be submitted independently by file as SDA will not accept .zip files. Offerors shall submit their responses via

DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE): https://safe.apps.mil. Offerors shall submit one (1) original copy of each Volume and appendices and/or attachments to be used for any and all printing or official copy retention requirements and one (1) additional copy of each Volume and appendices and/or attachments NO LATER THAN 1200 EDT 15 March 2022. Each Volume shall be submitted as a separate .pdf file. Offerors shall submit each copy of their proposal via a separate

DoD SAFE submission and all files should be included in a single DoD SAFE submission. Each file submitted must be clearly labeled with the SDA RFP number, prime contractor organization name, prime contractor proposal title (short title recommended), and Volume number and appendix or attachment number (as appropriate). The size limit for each SAFE file transmission is

8192 MB.

Offerors shall request a SAFE Drop-off Request, via an email to osd.pentagon.ousd-r-e.mbx.hq085021r0002@mail.mil, NO LATER THAN 1200 EDT 13 March 2022. The Offeror shall request a SAFE Drop-off Request regardless of whether or not they have access to DoD

SAFE already. The subject line shall be: T1DES RFP Submission SAFE Request (m of n) and the

Offeror’s organization name, where m is the request number and n is the total number of requests that will be made by the Offeror. If the Offeror’s submission will exceed the DoD size limit, then they shall make the required number of requests to complete their submission. Within the body email, the Offeror shall clearly state the email address to which the Drop-off Request will be sent.

The Offeror is free to request read receipts for each Drop-off request email sent. The Offeror will receive an email with their SAFE Drop-Off Request NLT 1200 EDT 14 March 2022. Note that this email will not come from the email address listed above.

Within the DoD SAFE submission form, the Offeror shall check both the “Encrypt every file” check box and the “Send me an email when each recipient picks up the files” check box. The password shall be sent under separate email to the email address above with the subject line:

T1DES RFP Submission SAFE Request (m of n) Password and the Offeror’s organization name.

The “Short note to the Recipients” field shall clearly identify the Offeror’s organization name, the proposal name, and the number of the submission.

The Government anticipates Volume II to be submitted as a classified volume but Offerors are not required to do so. Classified appendices and/or attachments to other volumes may be submitted if required. Volume IV – Price and Rationale and any attachments shall be submitted as an unclassified volume. For classified submissions, the Offeror must contact SDA at the email address above for submission instructions.

Proposals received after 1200 EDT 15 March 2022 will be considered late and not evaluated.

Offerors whose proposals which are considered late will be so informed by the primary contracting officer (PCO) and their proposals will be deleted without any files being opened or read.

Proposal Format Instructions

The font in normal text for all volumes shall be no smaller than Times New Roman 12 pt., while text in figures and tables shall be no smaller than Times New Roman 10 pt. All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) shall be no smaller than one (1) inch. All pdf pages, in all volumes, formatted larger than 8.5 inches X 11 inches shall be counted as two (2) pages. Line numbers shall be applied to all text sections in all volumes and shall be set within the left margin of the page so as not to reduce the usable size of the page. Title pages and tables of contents, tables of figures and/or tables will not count against the page counts of the respective volumes and will not be evaluated for content. Note: Nonconforming proposals may be rejected without review.

Use of Non-Government Advisors

The Offeror is advised that technical and price data submitted to the Government in response to this solicitation may be released to non-Government advisors that have signed non-disclosure agreements for review and analysis. Any objection to release shall be provided in writing to the

Contracting Officer within ten (10) days of the Request for Proposal (RFP) issuance and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection. The detailed statement shall identify the specific portions of the proposal for which the Offeror objects to disclosure to non-Government advisors.

Definitions

Within this Attachment, the following definitions are used:

Demonstration SV(s): SV(s) delivered with demonstration tactical communication mission payloads created or sourced by the Offeror.

Experimentation SV(s): SV(s) delivered by the Offeror that are intended to integrate payloads developed by mission partners in accordance with the partner payload program.

These payloads shall be treated as GFE.

T1DES SV(s): all SVs delivered by the Offeror, inclusive of both Demonstration SVs and

Experimentation SVs

The term SV(s) without a qualifier: all SVs delivered by the Offeror, synonymous with

T1DES SVs

The term T1DES constellation refers to the orbital plane containing all of the Offeror’s

SVs inclusive of both Demonstration SVs and Experimentation SVs.

T1TL SV(s): SVs developed as part of the Tranche 1 Transport Layer program

Demonstration Mission Payload: Offeror developed or sourced payloads for the demonstration tactical communications mission(s) as defined in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document

Prime: The Offeror

Major Teammate: A member of the Prime's development team with a different CAGE code from the prime Offeror, that either accounts for no less than five (5) percent of the proposed cost and/or develops one or more of the following subsystems or capabilities:

o Optical Communications Terminals o Demonstration Mission Payloads o Space Vehicle Bus o System Integration o Operations and Sustainment Personnel o NEBULA Operations – Vendor Architecture (NOVA) System

If the following subsystems are not procured as commercial off-the-shelf systems (COTS) and/or require significant modifications, then the developer of the subsystem shall be considered a major teammate:

o Networking and Data Routing o Encryption o Ka Mission Payload o Backup TT&C System Overview

The Government is purchasing the following:

A set of up to eighteen (18) SVs, including twelve (12) SVs equipped with Offeror-sourced

Demonstration Payloads and up to six (6) SVs that will host Government Furnished payloads, with the associated launch vehicles, ground support, and operations and sustainment capability. All SVs are expected to be to be delivered in orbit to a single plane, no later than 1 May 2025.

The SVs will include Optical Communications Terminals (OCTs) to support in-plane and cross-plane links to SVs and to Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) SVs. All SVs will have an on-board battle management processor (Battle Management, Command, Control, and Communications

(BMC3)) for supporting on-orbit mission related processing, increased bus automation (in support of more autonomous resiliency), and mission-driven network management.

Table 1 - Nominal T1DES Constellation

Parameter Value

Number of Planes 1

SVs per Plane up to 18

Altitude 1000 km

Inclination ~81 deg

In-Plane Mean Anomaly Separation (TBR)

Minimum Optical Links per SV 2x

Mission Data Downlink Ka

Navigation APNT and GPS

Volume I - Governance

Volume I shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages. Any pages in excess of this limit, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from the Offeror’s proposal and not evaluated.

Executive Summary

The Offeror shall present their proposed system governance solution for the T1DES program, including their team construct and expected contributions by each major teammate. The Executive

Summary should include a summary of the Offeror's programmatic and systems engineering approaches, to include the cost and risk management approaches.

Program Management

The Offeror shall detail the people, processes and tools planned to manage and conduct the program to a successful completion on time and within the agreed upon price. The Offeror shall discuss their program, personnel, cost, and risk management approaches, including any processes and tools. The Offeror shall include a list of the primary risks on the project, the planned mitigations, and the approach for managing risks throughout the system life cycle. Schedule management shall be discussed in Volume III; however, the Offeror is free to cross reference

Volumes I and III if doing so will be of benefit in explaining the value and quality of their approach. The Offeror should describe its processes to staff the program with qualified personnel, identify and manage critical vendors and subcontractors, and control costs within a firm fixed price environment. The Offeror shall document planned communications with the Government, detailing the purpose, entrance criteria, key accomplishments anticipated, exit criteria, and documentation methodologies for each meeting, review, or key management milestone within the program.

The Offeror shall plan the program using the program reviews identified in Section 2.1 of

Attachment 1 - Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document and in accordance with other dates specified throughout Attachment 1. If the Offeror believes that an alternate review structure (e.g., combining certain reviews) is more appropriate and meets the needs of the

Government for insight into the design and understanding of challenges and risks at appropriate stages of the development, the Offeror is free to propose it and the rationale behind their belief.

For each review combined, omitted, or added, the Offeror shall clearly delineate during what remaining review(s) the information traditionally provided shall be discussed. Table 4 identifies mandatory milestone payment events. If the Offeror omits these reviews, then they shall clearly identify an equivalent event that will be used in lieu of the mandatory review for milestone payments as specified.

The Offeror shall explicitly state the need for any anticipated waivers to Government standards and/or compliance documents identified Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical

Requirements Document.

Subcontractor and Supply Chain Management

The Offeror shall address their subcontractor and supply chain management methodologies. The

Offeror should describe how they will minimize the effect on the program from fluctuations in supply chain availability and subcontractor deliveries.

Systems Engineering

The Offeror shall detail the Systems Engineering processes and methods that will be used to execute the T1DES program. The Offeror shall clearly identify their approach to systems engineering and detail the use of any processes and tools that will be used on the program. The

Government expects that the Offeror will utilize Systems Engineering best practices.

Mission Assurance

The Offeror shall describe the mission assurance approach and Offeror’s quality systems. The

Offeror should include a discussion of relevant standards and certifications. In particular, the

Government is interested in how the Offeror plans to tailor – if applicable – existing mission assurance processes and tools to meet the requirements of a proliferated LEO constellation designed for a relatively short on-orbit lifetime.

Cross-Reference Matrix

The Offeror shall provide a matrix providing a cross-reference between their proposal and all

Contractor and System Requirements in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical

Requirements Document. The Offeror shall indicate the section and line number where the requirement is addressed in the proposal or not applicable if the requirement is not directly addressed.

The cross-reference matrix is expected to only indicate the references in the proposal that address the requirement. Any additional information included in the cross-reference matrix will not be evaluated. The cross-reference matrix shall be submitted as a Microsoft Excel document (.xlsx), using the template included in the Bidder’s Library. The cross-reference matrix shall be included as an attachment to this volume and will not be included in the

Volume I page limit.

Organizational Conflict of Interest

The Offeror shall clearly identify any real or perceived organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) for themselves or any of their teammates that would arise from their participation in the T1DES program. If the Offeror believes that they and their teammates have no organizational conflicts of interest, then they should explicitly state this position.

If the Offeror believes that an OCI exists or may exist upon award, then the Offeror shall include an OCI mitigation plan as an appendix to this volume. The OCI mitigation plan will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

Personnel Résumés

Personnel résumés shall not exceed two (2) pages each. The personnel résumés shall be included as attachments to this volume and will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

The Offeror shall identify the key personnel planned to be assigned to this program from the

Offeror and major teammates as appropriate. Résumés should be in bullet format and include:

Summary statement highlighting experience and expertise

Current role with the Offeror or teammate to include current assignments and programs

Planned role within the T1DES program

Evidence of applicable mission experience or understanding

Education (academic and military, if applicable)

Military, Government, or Commercial space-related experience (if any)

Anticipated percentage of time to be assigned to this program

Signed statement agreeing to support the T1DES program if awarded

Proposed staff members not currently employed by the Offeror may be included as appropriate. In those cases, the Offeror shall include signed contingent offer letters. These letters should be signed by both the Offeror and the proposed staff member and should state the willingness of the proposed staff member to join the Offeror in support of the T1DES program if awarded.

At a minimum, key personnel shall include:

From Offeror:

Program Manager

Chief Engineer

Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) Lead

If Offeror is developing any of the major subsystems or mission payload(s), the subsystem or mission payload lead(s)

Partner Payload Integration Lead(s), if so designated

From each major teammate:

Program Manager

Chief Engineer

Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) Lead

Subsystem Lead(s)

Partner Payload Integration Lead(s), if so designated

Personnel Matrix

The personnel matrix shall be submitted as an attachment to this volume and will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

The Offeror shall compare and contrast their submitted personnel résumés against the T1DES requirements to validate corporate and individual experience and expertise thereby giving the

Government confidence in the Offeror’s probability of success. Format for this comparison is entirely up to the Offeror but this section of the proposal should stand alone for evaluation.

Technical Data and Computer Software Rights Assertions

The Offeror shall clearly delineate all limitations on data, hardware, and computer software rights for technical data, hardware, or computer software provided by the Offeror and all of its teammates, using the format shown in Table 2. It is the Government’s assumption that no hardware, technical data or computer software will be provided with less than Government

Purpose Rights (see DFARS 252.227-7013, 7014, 7015) and that the vast majority of information generated will be provided with Unlimited Rights to the Government. The Offeror shall clearly identify those elements to be provided with less than Unlimited Rights and identify the rationale for their assertion(s) using the format shown in Table 2. Any item related to the performance of this effort and not contained in Table 2, shall be delivered upon request to the Government, with no less than Government Purpose Rights.

Table 2 - Technical and Data Rights Assertion Template

Company

Asserting

Data Rights

Hardware/Technical

Data/Computer Software to be Furnished with

Restrictions

Summary of

Intended Use in the

Conduct of the

Effort

Basis for

Assertion

Asserted

Rights

Category

Name of

Person

Asserting

Restrictions

(NAME) (LIST) (NARRATIVE) (LIST) (LIST) (LIST)

Table 2 shall be included as an attachment to Volume I and will not be included in the page count.

Standard Form 33 and Representations and Certifications

The Offeror shall complete Blocks 12 – 18 of the Standard Form 33. In accordance with FAR

52.204-8, paragraph (d) and DFARS 252.204-7007 (Alt A), paragraph (e), the Offeror shall identify any changes to its representations and certifications currently posted electronically on https://www.sam.gov. These changes shall be provided in the format shown in paragraphs (d) and

(e) of these provisions. Additionally, The Offeror shall complete any representations and certifications/provisions applicable to this solicitation not available for completion on https://www.sam.gov whether provided in full text or incorporated by reference into this solicitation. In accordance with FAR 52.252-1 the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information in lieu of submitting the full text of provisions.

If applicable, the Offeror shall submit a DD Form 2139 or equivalent report (see DFARS 252.225-

7003). The above information shall be provided in a separate attachment to Volume I and will not be included in the Volume I page limit.

https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/

Volume II - Technical

Volume II shall not exceed sixty (60) pages. Any pages in excess of this limit, other than those noted below as specifically excluded from the overall page limit, will be removed from the

Offeror’s proposal and not evaluated. The Government anticipates that Volume II will be classified SECRET however the Offeror is not required to do so.

Executive Summary

The Offeror shall present their proposed solution concept for twelve (12) Demonstration SVs and six (6) Experimentation SVs. The Executive Summary shall include an Operational Viewpoint

(OV)-1 or equivalent high-level overview of the proposed solution. The graphics shall depict the space vehicles, their payloads, the means by which they communicate with each other and the ground to include anticipated data rates by spectral band, and the means by which they accomplish or demonstrate mission objectives. Integrated into this graphical representation shall be the

Offeror’s milestone-driven integrated master schedule for capability delivery, culminating in an in-orbit delivery and performance per SDA’s schedule requirements.

Space Vehicle (SV) Overview

The Offeror shall present an overview of the Demonstration and Experimentation SVs, including but not limited to:

SV block diagram

Delta-V budget

High-level mass budget

Power budget with power modes

Vehicle configuration showing all major components

Backup TT&C system design

This section should also include an overview of the SV Concept of Operations (CONOPS).

A detailed Master Equipment List (MEL) with mass, power, Manufacturing Readiness Level

(MRL), and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) or other flight heritage shall be included as an appendix and will not count against the Volume II page limit.

T1DES Payload Architecture and Design

The Offeror shall present their overall payload architecture and design. For each payload element below, the Offeror shall include, but not be limited to: a discussion of payload hardware, software, control, data transfer capability and/or limitations, and power requirements. Proposals shall demonstrate a clear understanding of each payload’s mission application and the technical solution’s ability to accomplish its mission. Proposals should also address any needed test and certification requirements and plans, and must include schedule and risk assessments for subject completion.

2.2.1.1 Demonstration Mission Payloads

The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of each of its demonstration mission payloads, as defined in Attachment 1 - Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document. The Offeror shall provide detailed payload performance parameters demonstrating how each payload satisfies its mission application. The Offeror shall describe the CONOPs for using each mission payload individually on each SV and as part of the integrated NEBULA. The Offeror shall describe how the payloads are integrated with the bus. The Offeror shall include a description of space-to-ground communications required to accomplish checkout and early operations.

2.2.1.2 Partner Payload Interface

The Offeror shall describe their Experimentation SVs and discuss how they will provide a common interface for partner payloads provided by Government partners. The Offeror shall provide an illustration showing the available volume for partner payloads and the expected mounting locations. The Offeror shall clearly identify the size, weight, and power (SWaP) that will be provided to partner payloads. The Offeror shall describe how their assembly and integration process accommodates partner payloads and can adjust to delivery schedule of the partner payload within overall program schedule constraints. For the purposes of the proposal, the Offeror may assume that all partner payloads are delivered in accordance with the Offeror’s overarching host to payload ICD.

2.2.1.3 Optical Communication Terminals (OCT)

The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the optical communication terminals, including the placement on the SV, individual and total field of regard, and ability to create and maintain space-to-space links. The Offeror should identify the anticipated power requirements, data rate, bit error rate, and any other parameters considered key by the Offeror. The Offeror should provide a link budget demonstrating the closure of the optical links and clearly state any assumptions used in the creation of the link budget. The Government expects that the link budgets will be developed using industry standards for margin (e.g. 3 dB). The Offeror shall identify the compliance of their current system with the SDA OCT Standard v3.0, detail any non-compliant components of their design, and describe the path to full compliance for those components.

2.2.1.4 Ka Mission Payload System

The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of Ka-band subsystems used for the mission payload communications. The Offeror should identify the number of terminals, frequency of operation, bandwidth, anticipated power requirements, anticipated data rate, bit error rate, and any other parameters key to mission performance. The Offeror should identify the antenna configurations, field of regard, and deployment mechanisms for each of the antenna systems. The

Offeror should provide link budgets demonstrating the closure of required RF links and clearly state all assumptions used in the creation of the link budget. The Government expects that the link budgets will be developed using industry standards for margin (e.g. 3 dB). The Offeror shall include a description of the space-to-ground communications solution to accomplish checkout and early operations.

2.2.1.5 Telemetry, Tracking, and Control (TT&C)

The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the RF communications subsystems used for telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C). The Offeror should identify the number of terminals, frequency of operation, bandwidth, anticipated power requirements, anticipated data rate, bit error rate, and any other parameters key to mission performance. The Offeror should identify the antenna configurations, field of regard, and deployment mechanisms for each of the antenna systems. The

Offeror should provide link budgets demonstrating the closure of required RF links and clearly state all assumptions used in the creation of the link budget. The Government expects that the link budgets will be developed using industry standards for margin (e.g. 3 dB). The Offeror shall include a description of the space-to-ground communications solution to accomplish checkout and early operations.

2.2.1.6 Battle Management Command, Control, and Communication (BMC3)

The Offeror shall describe the Battle Management Command, Control, and Communication

(BMC3) module and detail its hardware configuration, performance specifications, features that support secure operations, and the sizing rationale applicable to the key processing elements. The

Offeror shall describe how their BMC3 module integrates with both the ground and space segments of Tranche 1 and how the BMC3 module interacts with the SV. The Offeror shall describe how their BMC3 module has been designed to support the hosting of a Secure Interoperable-middleware

Layer and how their design features will help support the implementation of future distributed processing. The Offeror should describe how their approach to loading and running SV applications, both on the ground and in orbit, is secure.

The Offeror shall provide a description of the system architecture that is traceable to the BMC3

System Requirements. A preferred architecture is modular, scalable, and is based on open standards at its interfaces. The Offeror should explain how decisions about their BMC3 module design relate to future mission application processing expectations. The Offeror should identify the essential aspects of the design that enable a cyber-secure BMC3 solution. The Offeror should identify major hardware and software interfaces, all applicable standards with which the design will comply, and any proprietary or unique systems elements.

The Offeror shall provide an assessment of the following items:

Availability of manufacturer/developer support for all elements of the design over the operational life of the system. This support shall include, but not be limited to upgrades, defect fixes, and security patches

Availability of replacement hardware over the operational life of the system to support sustainment of BMC3 aspects on the ground

2.2.1.7 Networking and Data Routing

The Offeror should describe the networking capabilities enabled by their technical solution. The

Offeror should detail the compliance of their system with the SDA NEBULA Standard v3.0, identify any non-compliant components of their design, and identify the path to full compliance for those components. The Offeror should indicate how their design supports networking and data routing both with and without the use of the BMC3 module to provide onboard network control and management. The Offeror should discuss their plans for on-orbit network initialization and provide estimates of system performance.

2.2.1.8 Navigation

The Offeror should describe the proposed implementation of navigation capabilities including a description of:

How an assured position, velocity, and timing (PVT) solution is provided on board the satellite utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS), OCTs, clock(s) and system components as required, The orbit propagator, The trust engine/integrity audit and how the PVT solution be utilized to ensure the validity of the received GPS signals and PVT sensor data in order to meet DoDI 4650.8, The selected Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver(s) and clocks, and how these will be integrated to provide an assured PVT solution for all satellite systems, How the vendor will transition to a constellation PVT solution provided from the ground and/or BMC3 processor

Space Vehicle (SV) Bus Design

The Offeror shall present their SV design based on the manufacture or purchase of commoditized

SV buses per the definition included in Attachment 1 – Statement of Work and Technical

Requirements Document. Should the Offeror elect a non-commoditized bus alternative, they shall present their process for commoditizing the alternative bus.

2.2.2.1 Bus Design and Heritage

The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the SV bus including the size, weight and power available. The Offeror shall present a discussion of the bus heritage to include:

Where and how many have flown

Design life and experienced flight life

Types and frequency of experienced anomalies and their solution(s)

If the proposed bus has not flown, the Offeror shall provide the heritage from an existing bus (if applicable) and the changes made to reach the proposed bus design along with the rationale for each proposed change.

2.2.2.2 Space Vehicle (SV) Subsystems

For each of the major subsystems (e.g. electrical and power; attitude control; telemetry, tracking and control; etc.) the Offeror shall provide a detailed description of the subsystem as well as system heritage (similar to that for Bus Design and Heritage above). The Offeror shall discuss specialty engineering (e.g. radiation, electromagnetic interference, contamination control, etc.) issues and approaches as appropriate. The Offeror should discuss the overall fault management approach, including the safe mode implementation.

2.2.2.3 Cybersecurity

The Risk Management Framework (RMF), per DoD Instruction 8510.01, will be used by the

Offeror to obtain separate authorities to operate (ATO) from the Government for the ground segment and for the space segment. For the T1DES program, the ground segment refers to any ground stations, networks, or ground-based antennas supporting the SVs during launch and early operations, transition to operations, and operations. The Government has already performed Step

2 of the RMF process by selecting security controls that the Contractor must implement for the ground segment and for the space segment to achieve the desired system categorization. These security controls are included in the RMF Process and Security Controls for T1DES Ground and

Space Segments.xlsx document in the Bidder’s Library. In their proposal, the Offeror may provide arguments to add or remove any security control while still achieving the security objectives of both the T1DES space segment and ground segment. The Government Authorizing Official will make the final determination on the security controls that shall be implemented.

The Offeror should discuss their cyber resilience strategy, including any resiliency plans, trusted boot systems, security guarantees, and measurements and measurement frequencies. The Offeror should discuss any novel solutions and trade-offs required to produce a highly resilient space vehicle and a highly resilient constellation network in order to minimize cyber risk. The Offeror should describe how the compromise of a single SV will not impact the entire network and highlight key aspects of cyber resilience that will be a part of their solution.

If desired, the Offeror may submit classified discussions related to the cyber resiliency of their system. Each page of these submissions will count as a full page of Volume II, regardless of the amount of text on the page. The allowable page count for the Unclassified Volume II will be reduced by the number of pages in the classified submission. Offerors wishing to submit a classified submission shall follow the instructions in the introduction of this Attachment.

2.2.2.4 Encryption

The Offeror should describe the proposed implementation of security concerns, such as red-black isolation, encryption, and command authentication. The Offeror should describe the encryption systems and technologies used on the space vehicle and how these systems will obtain certification and interoperate with the systems of Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) vendors and the ground.

Interoperability

The Offeror should discuss how interoperability between vendor-agnostic SVs is enhanced and enabled by their technical solution. This section should detail other programs for which the vendor has enabled interoperability, how they tested – or would test – this requirement, and the additional capability for the customer shown by this process. The Offeror should discuss situations in which they have led or at least participated in the development and acceptance of industry standards.

Simply stating that the Offeror will work with SDA to ensure interoperability will not be sufficient for this section; the Offeror shall detail instances in which they instantiated interoperability in theirs’ and other vendor’s systems, subsystems or components. The Offeror should define the verification and interoperability tests that they plan to perform and the benefit that those tests will bring to SDA. The Offeror shall describe how they plan to confirm interoperability between their

SVs and the T1TL SVs. The Offeror shall describe the details of their verification tests for the

Demonstration SVs.

Manufacturability

The Offeror shall present their manufacturing and assembly-line processes, captured in digital format, to demonstrate their ability to produce high-quality repeatable fabrication of the SVs including (1) assembly of key parts, (2) testing of individual parts and assemblies to ensure they meet the reliability and availability standards associated with the SV, (3) assembly and test of SV subsystems, (4) integration and test of subsystem hardware, and integration and test of software with the hardware subsystems. The digital media shall be submitted in MP4 (.mp4) format and the duration of the video shall be less than ten (10) minutes. Any video content that exceeds the ten

(10) minute time requirement will not be evaluated. The Government is primarily interested in videos that show actual hardware, assembly lines and personnel that will be employed by the

Offeror in the design, development, assembly, integration, test and delivery of the SVs. Videos that are created using 3-D computer-aided visualization programs are not preferred but will be accepted if they clearly demonstrate critical manufacturing and assembly assets that will be employed during T1DES program execution. Any such videos depicting manufacturing and assembly assets that do not yet exist must explicitly indicate development schedules substantiating the availability of those assets during T1DES program execution. Video narration will be accepted but must be accompanied by a transcript, which shall be submitted as a separate .pdf file and will not count against the Volume II page limit.

Videos shall be submitted via DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE): https://safe.apps.mil/ as part of the proposal submission. Videos shall be a single file which shall not exceed the size limits of a single DoD SAFE submission.

While Offerors are free to include content they consider important to demonstrating their capabilities, video inspection shall, at a minimum, present the system-level assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) process and shall capture the assembly-line process and assembly of at least the following SV components:

SV Bus

OCT

In addition to the video, Offerors should explain their ability to procure or manufacture commoditized buses1 at low cost and high reliability while achieving economies of scale as demonstrated in the commercial sector. Offerors shall identify risks in their manufacturing processes or the manufacturing processes of their major teammates and shall identify their planned responses to those risks, including strategies for overcoming the inability of the Offeror or a major teammate to produce the required number of components. The Offeror shall provide estimates of the manufacturing capacity of themselves (if applicable) and any major teammate, as identified in the introduction to this Attachment, inclusive of current contracts and any potential contracts within the Tranche 1 timeframe.

Supply Chain

The Offeror shall address production capacity, supply chain capacity, supply chain security, and production scalability issues for the SV buses and key payloads including, but not limited to, OCTs, key payload components, and cryptographic equipment.

Test, Demonstration, and Verification

The Offeror shall present their hardware and software, ground and orbit-based test and demonstration approach(es). This section should address all aspects of test and demonstration to include modeling, simulation, analysis, emulation, ground and space-based testing. The Offeror should address requirements verification at the component, subsystem, system, vehicle and

1 A commodity space vehicle utilizes an existing bus design that can be easily manufactured and reused across multiple space vehicles and for multiple missions. A commoditized bus has been designed for manufacture and is suitable for, or currently being produced by, an assembly line like process at economies of scale.

https://safe.apps.mil/ constellation levels up to and through environmental tests. The Offeror should describe test approaches, methodologies, performance, verification, documentation, and staffing. This section should include sample test artifacts from previous programs, and identification of test platforms and hardware maintained by the Offeror. For cases where test activities are expected to be accomplished outside of the Offeror’s direct control, the Offeror should identify their approach to manage test conduct and the experience level of the organization the Offeror plans to use to conduct the test. Of particular interest to SDA is the Offeror’s approach to conducting tests and demonstrations in concert with the SDA OC prior to launch and during early orbit operations and checkout, as well as use of the SVs in conjunction with warfighter exercises once in orbit. Throughout discussion of their test activities, Offerors should clearly identify live, virtual, and constructive tests and demonstrations, if applicable, and any elements expected to be provided by the Government to facilitate completion of their verification program.

Launch Services Overview

The Offeror shall present their launch solution(s) to meet the T1DES constellation requirements.

The Offeror should include descriptions of all key aspects of the Offeror’s proposed technical and management approach to mission integration and launch. The Offeror should include graphics of all eighteen (18) space vehicles integrated onto a representative launch vehicle (or vehicles).

Launch Mission Planning

The Offeror shall describe its mission plan for SV delivery into the required orbit, the number of launches required to fully populate the proposed constellation, the number of SVs per launch, and the timeline to do so based on nominal, as-scheduled arrival of the SVs at the launch facility.

This timeline shall include, but not be limited to, integration to the launch vehicle, orbit raising, and on-orbit checkout activities. The details of the required orbital elements are listed in the introduction of this Attachment.

The Offeror shall describe the analysis and methodology it used to calculate the mass-to-orbit capability. The analysis and methodology should be based on either demonstrated flight performance or engineering data. The Offeror should state the launch origination point (e.g., Eastern Range, Western Range, or other location) used for its calculation.

SDA is interested in options for reducing cost if it does not delay schedule. The Offeror is free to propose solutions that launch less than the full plane (18 SVs) per launch provided that they demonstrate how the proposed number of launches will deliver the SVs to their operational orbits within the time constraints specified in Attachment 1 - Statement of Work and Technical

Requirements Document.

Launch Vehicle (LV) and Launch Vehicle Integration Overview

The Offeror shall present an overview of the LV, including but not limited to: a detailed description of each LV stage, lift capability for the required SDA orbits, payload fairing internal configuration with SV placements, and LV configuration showing all major components. In addition, the Offeror shall include a description of its intended launch facility and its SV processing facility. This section shall also include an overview of the launch CONOPS. Further, for all launches of this system/class, the Offeror shall include a detailed description of the LV flight heritage: where and how many have flown; the SV masses delivered to orbits similar to

SDA’s required orbit; the types and frequency of experienced anomalies and their solutions; and the number and types of customers that have purchased the launch system. For launch systems in development, the Offeror shall provide the technical maturation and risk reduction plans prior to launch of the SVs.

The Offeror shall describe its study plan to conduct analyses to integrate and launch the awarded

SVs with the Offeror’s proposed launch vehicle (LV). The Offeror shall present their architecture and deployment/separation systems design(s) for the T1DES constellation. The Offeror shall provide an overview of its LV assembly, test, and integration activities, as well as its plan for

SV-LV integration tasks at the launch facility. The Offeror shall also describe how it shall keep the Government informed of progress via technical interchange meetings and its IMS.

Ground Segment and Operations

The Offeror shall present their approaches to operating their constellation through their NEBULA

Operations – Vendor Architecture (NOVA) software and integrating with the SDA Unified

Planning Environment and Resources for NEBULA Operations – Vendor Agnostic

(SUPERNOVA) provided by the SDA Operations and Integration (O&I) contractor. The Offeror shall define which functions their NOVA will provide, which functions are assumed to be provided by SUPERNOVA, and how the two systems will interact during operations and maintenance activities. The Offeror shall describe their use of COTS software and tools and the resultant benefits to integrated operations. The Offeror shall describe how their ground system will provide

SV system health and status data to the integrated ground operations management systems for continuous situational awareness and performance monitoring. The Offeror shall describe their approach to shift the control of their SV planes to the operations center as part of the development of the integrated ground system.

The Offeror shall describe their concept, level of automation, and staffing requirements for nominal operations. The Offeror shall describe their approach for anomaly resolution, discrepancy reporting, and planned and unplanned system maintenance. The Offeror should list the documentation and training anticipated to be provided to SDA operations personnel. The Offeror should describe the systems and approach for maintaining inventory accountability and control.

The Offeror should describe the suggested approach for verification that the proposed SVs are fully compatible with the integrated ground segment and the SDA Operations Center (OC).

Mission Operations, Sustainment, and Disposal

The Offeror shall define the facilities and systems that will be used to support launch and early operations (LEOps) from the vendor facility and how they will transition to constellation operations at the SDA OC. The Offeror shall clearly identify the anticipated locations of SV communications systems, ground antennas, and processing facilities that will be utilized during

LEOps. The Offeror shall clearly identify the ability of their facilities to support operations at

SECRET classification and what network connections are currently available. The Offeror should provide an overview of the LEOps plan for orbit raising and SV and constellation level initialization and checkout. The Offeror shall describe their on-orbit check-out plan and test flow to demonstrate full operational capability of their SVs, mission payloads, and networked orbital planes prior to delivery to the Government and transition to operations. The Offeror shall identify the support that they will provide to the SDA OC during nominal constellation operations, surge support, and anomaly operations. The Offeror shall describe the disposal plan for each SV and how that plan will reliably dispose of decommissioned SVs.

Mission Design

The Offeror shall provide a CONOPs for the operation of the full plane of SVs, including network maintenance and initialization, data transfer, and mission tactical communications. The Offeror should clearly identify any mission constraints or limitations. The Offeror shall describe how they will integrate with the partner payload operators at multiple security levels, both on the space vehicle and through the ground system.

Appendices

The following appendices shall be included as attachments to Volume II and will not count against the Volume II page count.

Capstone Event Plan

The Offeror shall describe their plan for executing one or more Capstone event(s) which will validate the mission capabilities of each of the demonstration mission payloads and applications.

The Capstone event(s) will occur after the completion of the Offeror’s Functional On-Orbit Test.

The Offeror shall define the end-to-end flow of the Capstone event(s), inclusive of the users, SUPERNOVA and NOVA ground systems, T1TL, and the Offeror’s SVs. The Offeror shall describe how their proposed capstone will demonstrate the T1DES demonstration mission payloads can be utilized from a resilient data transport architecture in LEO to support military operations. The Offeror shall clearly list their initial assumptions made during event design, anticipated dependencies during event conduct, and geophysical or temporal constraints expected which could potentially hinder event success. The Offeror shall indicate the entrance criteria, key accomplishments, and exit criteria for each event. The Offeror shall clearly identify the participants in the Capstone event(s), anticipated Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), and any other assumptions of capability required to complete the Capstone event(s). The Offeror shall identify anticipated event locations and timelines. The Capstone Event Plan shall include an OV-1 graphic including the participants and data flows at a minimum. The Capstone Event Plan is limited to ten

(10) pages (exclusive of title pages and tables of contents, figures, and/or tables). Any pages beyond this limit will be removed from the appendix and will not be evaluated.

Commercial Data Sheets

The Offeror may submit commercial data sheets and/or previously delivered detailed designs submitted to other customers as part of system or subsystem delivery. However, the set of submitted commercial data sheets is limited to twenty (20) pages total and no more than two (2) pages per separate item, inclusive of any title pages. Any pages beyond the twenty (20) page limit will be discarded.

Parameter Specification

The Offeror shall complete the value column in each worksheet of the

T1DESKeyParameterSpecification.xlsx file in the Bidder’s Library and shall include the completed .xlsx file as an appendix to Volume II. All values in the table shall be provided in the units specified. Upon selection for award and at the discretion of the Government, the proposed values in this table may be included in the final Statement of Work and Technical Requirements

Document in lieu of the current threshold and objective values specified in Attachment 1 –

Statement of Work and Technical Requirements Document.