DMSP_Sources_Sought_Notice_Spacecraft_24_Sep_26.pdf

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Spacecraft Support

Sources Sought Announcement

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY.

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A

COMMITMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE TO ISSUE A SOLICITATION OR

ULTIMATELY AWARD A CONTRACT. NEITHER UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS NOR ANY

OTHER KINDS OF OFFERS WILL BE CONSIDERED IN RESPONSE TO THIS SOURCES

SOUGHT. NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED PURSUANT TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

1. Introduction and Purpose

This is a Sources Sought notice for market research purposes only. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), or an Invitation for Bid (IFB). The U.S.

Government is seeking to identify qualified sources capable of providing sustaining engineering, operational support, and eventual decommissioning for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft fleet.

The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of the capabilities, capacity, and qualifications of potential contractors to support the spacecraft bus and associated subsystems of the DMSP constellation. DMSP is the longest-running production satellite program, providing critical weather and environmental data for military operations.

Operations are managed jointly by the U.S. Space Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Anticipated NAICS Code: 541330 Anticipated Security Clearance Requirement: SECRET facility and personnel clearances

2. Background

The DMSP satellites are based on the Advanced TIROS-N (ATN) spacecraft bus design and operate in a sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit at a nominal altitude of 830 km. The spacecraft are three-axis stabilized, providing a precision-pointing platform for their sensor payloads. The satellite bus is comprised of several key subsystems critical for long-term operations, including:

• Structure and Mechanisms: The spacecraft structure provides the primary support for all components and instruments. Mechanisms are responsible for the deployment of solar arrays and antennas.

• Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS): Provides three-axis pointing control using reaction wheels, momentum wheels, star trackers, and gyroscopes to maintain satellite orientation.

• Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS): Consists of a single articulated solar array, Nickel-Hydrogen (NiH) or Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, and power control units to generate, store, and distribute power to all satellite components.

• Propulsion Subsystem: A monopropellant hydrazine system used for orbit insertion, station-keeping maneuvers, and eventual de-orbit/decommissioning burns.

• Command and Data Handling (C&DH): Manages all spacecraft functions, processes commands from the ground, and formats telemetry and mission data for downlink.

• Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C): Provides the communications link between the satellite and ground control stations for command uplink, telemetry downlink, and tracking. The system uses the S-Band Space Ground Link System (SGLS).

Currently, command and control of the DMSP constellation is conducted by NOAA at their facility in Suitland, Maryland, with backup operations performed by the 6th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. Several legacy DMSP satellites have experienced on-orbit anomalies, including battery failures leading to spacecraft fragmentation, highlighting the importance of robust anomaly resolution and end-of-life management.

3. Scope of Work

The Government is seeking information on capabilities related to the full lifecycle support of the DMSP spacecraft bus. To ensure all aspects of the program are addressed, the scope of work consists of the following elements:

1. Satellite Operations and Command & Control: Capability to perform day-to-day command and control, including mission planning, command generation, and telemetry monitoring from a ground control station.

2. Spacecraft Subsystem Health and Performance Monitoring: Expertise in analyzing telemetry to assess the health and performance of all spacecraft subsystems (ADCS, EPS, Propulsion, Thermal, C&DH, etc.).

3. Anomaly Resolution and Fault Diagnosis: Proven ability to investigate, diagnose, and develop recovery procedures for on-orbit spacecraft anomalies, including power, attitude control, and communication faults.

4. Orbit Determination and Maneuver Planning: Capability to perform orbit determination, predict orbit trajectories, and plan and execute propulsive maneuvers for station-keeping and collision avoidance.

5. End-of-Life (EOL) Operations: Experience with satellite decommissioning procedures, including propellant depletion burns and final passivation of all spacecraft systems to mitigate orbital debris risk.

6. Sustaining Engineering: Providing subject matter expertise to support the aging spacecraft, manage obsolescence, and develop solutions to extend mission life.

7. Ground System Support: Familiarity with the DMSP ground system architecture, including the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) and command and control software.

8. Logistics and Spares Inventory Management: Managing inventory, warehousing, and supply chain logistics activities for aging spacecraft components and hardware.

9. Integration Lab and Simulator Support: Providing continuous support, maintenance, and operations for hardware-in-the-loop integration labs and software testbed environments (e.g., Advanced Flight Vehicle Simulator Facility

[AFVSF]).

10. Technical Data and Training: Managing legacy technical data, maintaining system documentation (such as Operations/Engineering Manuals), and providing specialized technical training to operational personnel as required.

11. Associate Contractor Coordination and Interface Management: Establish and maintain seamless operational and technical coordination with the DMSP Sensor Sustainment contractor. This includes maintaining Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs), conducting joint anomaly resolution, participating in cross-system technical reviews, and coordinating end-of-life (EOL) passivations to ensure overall satellite health and mission success without degrading payload operations.

4. Requested Information

Interested parties are requested to submit a capability statement that addresses the following:

1. Company Information: Company name, address, point of contact, email, phone number, CAGE code, business size/socio-economic status, and Facility Clearance Level (FCL).

2. Corporate Experience: A detailed description of your company's experience in supporting satellite systems and sensor data comparable to the DMSP. Please explicitly detail your experience performing classified work and operating within secure, cleared facilities.

3. Technical Capabilities: Please describe your specific technical capabilities as they relate to the sensor types listed in Section 2 and the Scope of Work in Section 3.

Vendors MUST explicitly address all nine (9) numbered elements in the Scope of Work, paying special attention to your approach and experience with system decommissioning and transition. Address your experience with:

a. Operating satellites using the S-Band SGLS protocol.

b. Managing satellite power systems, including anomaly response to battery and charging system failures.

c. Three-axis stabilized attitude control systems.

d. Monopropellant hydrazine propulsion systems.

e. Satellite decommissioning and passivation.

4. Cross-Contractor Integration Experience: Provide a brief description of your corporate experience and approach to managing complex interfaces with third-party payload or spacecraft contractors on similar space systems. Highlight your specific approach to joint troubleshooting, managing interface risks, and successfully executing Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs).

5. Past Performance: Provide at least two (2) examples of past performance on contracts of similar relevance and complexity (e.g., legacy satellite sensor sustainment, complex DoD data processing, or large-scale decommissioning efforts) within the last five years. For each example, you must include:

a. Contract Number

b. Customer Point of Contact (Name, Email, and Phone Number)

c. A brief description of the specific work performed and how it relates to this effort

5. Submission Instructions

• Responses to this Sources Sought notice should be submitted electronically to Contracting Officer, Darren Fullo, at darren.fullo@spaceforce.mil no later than 16 Oct 2026.

• Please format the subject line of the email as: "Response to Sources Sought: DMSP Spacecraft Support – USSF/CFC/MD4/4STS".

• SOC Format:

o Maximum of 15 pages o 8.5" x 11" paper size o Font no smaller than 12-point o Clearly marked as "Proprietary" if applicable

• MD4/4STS Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) and Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) support contractors are supporting the Government Program Office on this effort. As such, information submitted in response to this sources sought may be released to individuals who work for the following companies:

Odyssey Systems Consulting Group, Tecolote Research Inc, Booz Allen, and Alutiiq.

Please immediately notify the primary point of contact if your company does not consent to the release of proposal information to these company personnel.

• Questions and Point of Contact: All communications associated with this sources sought shall be submitted via email to the Point of Contact: Darren Fullo, darren.fullo@spaceforce.mil , (719)-886-0729.

Primary Point of Contact:

Darren Fullo

Contracting Officer (SSC/PKL)

United States Space Force (USSF)

Space Systems Command (SSC) darren.fullo@spaceforce.mil

(719)-886-0729