CLPS TO OP - EMO - JEFO - IM for Posting.pdf

For Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – Task Order (TO) Oceanus Procellarum (OP) – Extended Mission Operations on CLPS TO2

Abstract: CLPS TO2 is being executed on Intuitive Machines’ (IM) Mission 1 (IM-1), which is flying to the lunar region of Oceanus Procellarum. NASA has a need to extend the mission operations (EMO) on CLPS TO2 past the original operational phase contemplated in IM’s initial award. These EMOs will enable advancements in the current understanding of specific aspects of the lunar surface and its environment, to include conditions during the lunar night, which will facilitate more accurate future mission planning and has the potential to drive risk reduction on future lunar missions.

IM is the only CLPS provider with a presently scheduled flight to the lunar surface that can offer EMO at Oceanus Procellarum. No other CLPS provider is currently flying to Oceanus Procellarum, nor are any of the currently awarded Vendors presently situated to deliver similar data. As such, IM is the only CLPS provider that can perform the requirements of TO OP, and do so in a timely manner.

This approved JEFO will afford NASA a unique opportunity to obtain EMO, and the resultant data, at significant cost and time savings to the Government via IM’s IM-1 flight, currently scheduled for launch in September 2021. Any alternative option to obtain this data would be cost and schedule prohibitive.

1. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(2) – Nature and/or description of the action being approved:

This justification provides rationale for an exception to the fair opportunity process. This action will award a TO to CLPS Contract 80HQTR19D0010 with IM. The purpose of this TO is to obtain EMO data of the lunar surface and its environment at Oceanus Procellarum that cannot be obtained from any other CLPS Contractor.

2. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(3) – A description of the supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the estimated value):

IM is one of 14 companies awarded a CLPS multi-award IDIQ contract. IM was selected for award of CLPS TO 2 on May 30, 2019, which will transport NASA payloads on IM’s IM-1 mission. IM-1 provides a unique and ideal opportunity to obtain EMO data of the lunar surface and its environment at Oceanus Procellarum, and to collect valuable information that provides significant near-term benefits to NASA.

This action will procure NASA EMO data of the lunar surface and its environment at Oceanus Procellarum. The estimated value of this action is no greater than $500,000.

3. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(4) – Identification of the exception to fair opportunity (see 16.505(b)(2)) and the supporting rationale, including a demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the exception cited. If the contracting officer uses the logical follow-on exception, the rationale shall describe why the relationship between the initial order and the follow-on is logical (e.g., in terms of scope, period of performance, or value):

The exception to fair opportunity considered for this action is FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(B), which provides that only one awardee is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services ordered are unique or highly specialized. Additionally applicable in this action is FAR 16.505(b)(2)(i)(C), stipulating that an order must be issued on a sole-source basis in the interest of economy and efficiency because it is a logical follow-on to an order already issued under the contract, provided that all awardees were given a fair opportunity to be considered for the original order.

Under the CLPS contract, NASA competed TO 2 to deliver NASA payloads to the moon in 2021. Of the nine vendors under contract at the time, eight submitted proposals for TO 2.

NASA selected three Contractors: Astrobotic, IM, and Orbit Beyond. Specific landing location on the lunar surface was not an evaluation criterion for TO2. IM worked with NASA to determine that Oceanus Procellarum was the ideal landing site to accommodate the NASA payloads manifested on IM-1. All other vendors negotiated different landing sites specific to their mission needs and unique NASA payload manifests, and are therefore not capable of fulfilling this requirement at this time.

NASA has a need to obtain EMO data of the lunar surface and its environment at Oceanus Procellarum. This data will enable advancements in the current understanding of specific aspects of the lunar surface and its environment, to include conditions during the lunar night, which will facilitate more accurate future mission planning and has the potential to drive risk reduction on future lunar missions. With IM’s near term flight to Oceanus Procellarum, NASA has a unique opportunity to obtain this data at significant cost and time savings to the Government as a logical follow-on. Additionally, no other CLPS Contractors have a near-term missions flying to Oceanus Procellarum.

4. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(5) – A determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable:

The Contractor shall be required to submit a proposal to be evaluated and negotiated by the Government. Prior to execution of the contractual instrument, a proposal analysis will be performed. The proposal analysis will ensure that the final agreed-to price for the contract action is fair and reasonable. Price analysis will be performed in accordance with FAR 15.404-1(a)(3), Proposal Analysis Techniques, to ensure that the overall price is fair and reasonable.

5. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(6) – Any other facts supporting the justification:

1. Lunar Node 1 Demonstrator (LN-1)

LN-1 is technology demonstration for multi-spacecraft autonomous positioning system navigation to support future surface and orbital operation. Any additional data generated by LN-1 would be beneficial. With EMO into the Lunar night, IM-1 power and communication resources would be used to operate the payload, downlink payload health status, and allow LN-1 to continue generating and downlinking Multi-spacecraft Autonomous Positioning System (MAPS) packets and Doppler and Non-Coherent ranging measurements via the Deep Space Network.

2. Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface PhotoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)

The ROLSES NASA payload will focus on determining the photoelectron density and scale height near the lunar surface. Other scientific and technical observations include:

• Detection of solar and terrestrial radio bursts from the lunar surface

• Possible detection of clouds of dust impacting the system at high velocity

• Reflection of incoming radio waves from the lunar surface

• Current levels of terrestrial RFI from ground-based transmitters

ROLSES will have two frequency bands, 10 kHz – 1 MHz and 300 kHz – 30 MHz. The two frequency bands will each be analyzed using a 512-bin real-time digital Weighted- Overlap and Add (WOLA) spectrometer, Low frequency band resolution: 1.76 kHz and High frequency band resolution: 58.01 kHz. Spectral time resolution will be approximately 5 seconds. Payload data rate is proposed not to exceed 17kbps to lunar lander, but if provided a larger data rate allocation, the time resolution would be correspondingly increased. EMO should allow ROLSES a higher data rate allocation, resulting in an increased time resolution.

Determining the Photoelectron Density

ROLSES will determine the photoelectron sheath density from 0 to ~3 m above the lunar surface. ROLSES will use 4 monopole Stacer antennas, used as dipoles at 1 m and 2-3 m above the lunar surface. Two dipoles are orthogonal, to support some directional measurements. ROLSES will operate in the 10 kHz to 30 MHz frequency range (high frequency in support of other lunar radio mission proposals) and demonstrate detection of solar, planetary, and other radio emission from lunar surface. This is of scientific value and is also important to determine the effect on the antenna response of larger lunar radio observatories with antennas on the lunar surface. ROLSES measurements will help validate and/or correct existing photoelectron sheath models.

Dust Cloud Detection

Spacecraft in the interplanetary environment or orbiting planets may be struck by dust particles, which releases electrons and ions from the surface, affects the surface photoelectron environment, and creates signals that are detectable. ROLSES might detect dust impacting the NOVA-C lander. Although the time resolution of 5 sec being used does not permit detecting individual dust particles, “dust clouds” may be detected.

Measure Present range/intensity of Terrestrial RFI

ROLSES will provide continuous spectra of radio frequency interference (RFI) from terrestrial transmitters for the ~10-day mission; information to confirm how well a near-side lunar surface-based radio observatory could observe and image solar radio bursts in the frequency range of 0.01 to ~10 MHz for the first time.

Measure reflection of incoming radio emission from lunar surface and below

There is no ground plane below the ROLSES antennas, so some detected radio waves will likely penetrate the lunar surface. They may be reflected at some depth, and ROLSES may be able to detect such reflection, determining the photoelectron density.

Previously, the Apollo 17 lunar Surface Electrical Properties (SEP) instrument made such measurements at 6 frequencies, with a signal generator that sent radio waves down to a few km into the Moon. R. Grimm (Icarus, 2018) describes recent analysis of the SEP results in detail, e.g., “Because no deep interfaces were detected, the thickness of the Taurus-Littrow volcanic fill must exceed 1.6 km and possibly 3 km.”

Nova-C Lander Accommodations Supporting EMO

• The current IM-1 Mission Timeline supports operation for the entire Lunar Day (~ 336 hours) setting the stage for operation into the Lunar night;

• The current IM-1 mission Landing site, Oceanus Procellarum near Vallis Schröteri (24.1373°N, 37.44414°W), is ideally suited to maximize the power generation and battery storage capability of the Nova-C Lander;

• The Nova-C side solar panel is ideally placed to provide positive power balance up until sunset;

• Nova-C will be placed in a low power mode and only operate heaters and science instruments needed to record the terminator passage;

• The Nova-C High Gain Antenna (HGA) will be operated as long as possible to maximize science return;

• The addition of a 3rd Nova-C Battery to support payload survival requirements during the Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) phase of the lunar Transit adds significant capability to support operation into the Lunar night and break new ground in Lunar Science.

6. FAR 16.505(b)(2)(ii)(B)(7) – A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers that led to the exception to fair opportunity before any subsequent acquisition for the supplies or services is made.

The CLPS multi-award IDIQ contracts provide end-to-end "commercial" payload services between the Earth and the lunar surface. Contractors provide all activities necessary to safely integrate, accommodate, transport, and operate NASA payloads. NASA does not mandate the specific landing location utilized by any specific contractor to perform the services. IM and NASA mutually agreed that Oceanus Procellarum provides NASA with an unexpected, unique opportunity to capture useful data to enhance future space exploration activities.