NextSTEP-2 Appendix O Capability Studies.pdf

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD.

Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships -2 (NextSTEP-2)

Broad Agency Announcement NNH16ZCQ001K-CIS

Appendix O: Capability Studies for NASA Communications and Navigation Network

Direct-to-Earth (DTE) and Lunar Space Relay (LSR) Commercialization Services

Originally Issued: March 29, 2022

Proposals Due: April 28, 2022, 5:00 PM Eastern Time

NextSTEP-2 Appendix O: Capability Studies for NASA Communications and Navigation Network Direct-to- Earth (DTE) and Lunar Space Relay (LSR) Commercialization Services

NNH16ZCQ001K-CIS

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Background

2. Definitions

3. Direct-to-Earth and Lunar Relay Navigation Architecture

4. Near Space Network Interfaces and Capabilities

5. Objectives of Appendix O

6. Capability Study and Demonstration Statement of Objectives (SOO)

6.1.1. Study Area #1: RF Compatibility Testing and Future Innovation

6.1.2. Study Area #2: Planning and Scheduling

6.1.3. Study Area #3: Integration of Optical Ground Terminal into Network Operations

6.1.4. Study Area #4: Digital Signal Processing in the Cloud (Software Defined Radios in Cloud) ... 17

7. General Information for Respondents

8. Inquiries

9. Proposals Due

10. Eligibility Information and Other Considerations

11. Corporate Resources

12. Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)

13. Proposal Submission Information

13.1. Instructions for Proposals

14. Proposal Format and Contents

14.1. Title Page

14.2. Executive Summary

14.3. Proof of Eligibility

14.4. Qualifications of the Offeror

14.5. Study Approach

14.6. Intellectual Property

14.7. Signed Model Contract

14.8. Price Proposal

14.9. Required Attachments

14.10. Enclosures

15. Additional Proposal Guidance

15.1. Contract Structure

15.2. Deliverables

15.3. Briefings, Meetings, and Communications with NASA

15.4. Deliverable Schedule for Thrust Area 1

16. Proposal Review Information

16.1. Compliance Review

16.2. Evaluation

16.3. Evaluation Criteria

17. Award Information

17.1. Contract Award/Funding Availability

17.2. Period of Performance

17.3. Award Date

17.4. Funding Allocation

18. References

1. Introduction and Background

Communications and Navigation services are fundamental to NASA’s execution of science and exploration endeavors. NASA's Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program provides communications and navigation services that are essential to the operations of NASA's scientific, technology and human spaceflight missions providing 24/7 Global Near Earth and Deep Space Communications and Navigation Services to over 100 NASA and non-NASA missions, other United States (U.S.) Government agencies, international civil space agencies, and commercial missions. SCaN’s vision is to provide interoperable and resilient space and ground communications and navigation infrastructure with the goal of enabling high speed, robust, secure, and cost-effective space communications and navigation services to future science and exploration missions.

The commercial marketplace for Telemetry, Tracking and Commanding (TT&C) services continues to expand and has reached a maturity to enable 100% commercialization of Direct-to- Earth (DTE) radio frequency communications services. NASA is encouraging a growing commercial market by leveraging commercial capabilities to increase efficiency and robustness of NASA Space Networks. NASA is actively pursuing minimizing the use of NASA in-house communication capabilities and moving the focus of missions towards commercial-provisioned services targeting 100% commercial services for DTE services by 2023. In addition, NASA plans to enhance its communications capabilities to provide near-continuous communications support to the Artemis lunar missions through Communication Relay and Navigation services in Lunar space.

Goddard Space Flight Center’s (GSFC) Exploration and Space Communications (ESC) Projects Division manages the Near Space Network (NSN) activities for SCaN and is fostering the commercialization of the Near-Space region through increased private sector participation in providing:

• Direct-To-Earth (DTE) telemetry, tracking and commanding (TT&C) services for orbital and sub-orbital missions

• Lunar Space Relay (LSR) and navigation services which relay critical mission data between spacecrafts/satellites and ground stations as well as support the Artemis program and its planned missions to the Moon

NSN provides communications and navigation services for missions within 2 million kilometers of our planet, bringing down an average of almost 30 Terabytes of critical data daily. Through space relays and ground-based assets, The NSN provides data delivery and satellite tracking services, empowering new discoveries about the universe and our home planet.

ESC’s Commercialization, Innovation and Synergies (CIS) Office is the focal point for assisting NSN with engaging the TT&C industry to explore mutually beneficial opportunities with the goal of transitioning to 100% commercial providers for DTE. The CIS Office fosters synergistic relationships and accelerates infusion opportunities by leveraging private industry, other government agencies, and international partners.

The CIS Office, in partnership with the NSN Project Office, is seeking to work with US industry partners to identify requirements, demonstrate capabilities to address future NASA needs, and explore operational efficiencies to inform the successful commercialization of the NSN services through detailed studies and capability demonstrations based on best practices and state of the art tools and processes. Successful demonstrations will be considered for future NSN commercial services to NASA missions. Commercial services are comprised of ground systems, space systems and mission planning capabilities.

2. Definitions

“Near Space Network” is defined as a NASA two-way communication network that fulfills the essential needs of user missions, with mission-critical communications and navigation services to enable the transmission of science and exploration data to and from space. As a single interface for missions in the near-space region — out to two million kilometers away — the network connects users with either government or commercial service providers. The Near Space Network orchestrates communications services, space links, and data transports for users. The network serves missions throughout their entire lifecycle, providing requirements analysis, spectrum management, communications analysis, service agreements, mission design, mission planning, launch, operations, and post-mission support activities.

“Near Space Region” shall be defined as the volume of space bounded by the Earth’s surface up to radius of 2 million Km (ref: ITU definition of “Near Earth”). This region includes cis- Lunar space and all areas of interest within this volume (e.g., Sun-Earth and Earth-moon Lagrange points) utilized to conduct spaceflight missions and/or provide the services (e.g., PNT) needed by the nation’s explorers.

“Earth Proximity” shall be defined as a subset of near space; the volume of space bounded by the Earth’s surface up to and including geosynchronous orbit (GEO). This region supports users exploiting sub-orbital, Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geosynchronous (GEO) regimes.

“Direct to Earth” Services is defined as services via a global system of commercial and NASA owned ground stations that provide line of sight communications and tracking services to missions ranging from low-Earth orbit and extending to Sun-Earth Lagrange Points 1 & 2.

“Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO)” shall be defined as a type of halo orbit that has slightly curved, so near straight sides, between close passes with an orbiting body. This planned Moon-centric orbit will serve as a staging area for future lunar missions with NASA’s Artemis Gateway spacecraft orbiting Earth-Moon Libration Point L2 in the mid-2020s. The Gateway orbit is planned to be a highly-elliptical seven-day NRHO around the Moon, which would bring the small space station within 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) of the lunar north pole at closest approach and as far away as 70,000 kilometers (43,000 mi) over the lunar south pole.

“Low Lunar Orbit (LLO)” shall be defined as orbits below 100 km (62 mi) altitude and have a period of about 2 hours.

“Lunar Space Relay (LSR)” shall be defined as a communication relay satellite in orbit about the Moon to support surface-to-surface and surface to Earth communications for the longer duration human missions and for human and robotic missions to lunar sites not visible from Earth.

RF Compatibility Testing shall be defined as the determination of spacecraft compatibility with the supporting networks’ telemetry, tracking and ranging, and command systems. Specific objectives of RF Compatibility Testing are to independently verify performance of the spacecraft and supporting network(s) to ensure that RF and data systems meet RF interface specifications;

detect problems that may impact the operations of the spacecraft and identify potential in-flight RF interference, and determine margins of Network parameters and range of nominal operating conditions and overall robustness of the RF interface. In addition, operational readiness procedures are evaluated as well as preparation of ground personnel to meet contingencies that may arise during support of the user spacecraft once it has obtained orbit.

3. Direct-to-Earth and Lunar Relay Navigation Architecture

NASA’s Near Space Network synthesizes both government and commercial service providers into a comprehensive network of services for missions. These include space link providers (SLPs) and terrestrial link providers (TLPs). SLPs fulfill their service through direct-to-Earth (DTE) connections via a robust arrangement of ground stations worldwide and space relay services through multiple generations of relay satellites. Terrestrial link providers (TLP) transmit data from ground stations to users and mission operations centers across the Direct-to-Earth and Lunar Relay Navigation Architecture U.S. and globally.

Paramount to the success of NASA missions, commercial TT&C services must provide quality connectivity between and among user spacecrafts, relay satellites, surface networks, and ground stations to meet NASA requirements (see Figure 1). NSN now provides high-data-rate, DTE Ka-band services and is also integrating optical communications capabilities into its portfolio. These technologies use infrared lasers to provide high-data-rate communications to missions while reducing size, weight, and power requirements. The network also works with experts realizing future innovations like quantum networking, Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), and other technologies, assuring the network stays at the cutting-edge.

Figure 1. Notional Near Space Network Domain Concept of Operations

As depicted in Figure 2, the NSN provides Direct-To-Earth (DTE) services via a global system of commercial and NASA-owned ground stations that provide line of sight communications and tracking services to missions ranging from low-Earth orbit and extending to Sun-Earth Lagrange Points 1 & 2. The NSN also provides Space Relay services via relay satellites in geosynchronous orbit, which relay critical mission data between satellites and ground stations. The strategic placement of the relays can provide LEO and MEO missions with continuous coverage for communications and navigation.

Figure 2. Near Space Network

The NSN architecture is comprised of an Earth segment (e.g., ground stations and network control centers) and a space segment that could comprise a range of off-Earth assets that could be located:

• In Earth orbit (relays that may serve lunar users as well as other missions),

• In lunar orbit (dedicated relays and relay payloads on user mission spacecraft), and/or on the lunar surface (e.g., base station terminals and local network nodes).

• The lunar orbit can be either low lunar orbit (LLO) or Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit

(NRHO) to support the Artemis Gateway spacecraft. Providers should have the capability to support operations in low lunar orbit and NRHO orbits, but low enough power not to overpower terrestrial sources.

Figure 3. Lunar Communication and Navigation Architecture and Frequency Bands

The coverage performance of Lunar Gateway can be summarized as follows based on a notional NRHO orbit:

• Covers most of lunar far-side, except the far-side center

• Favors the far side S. Pole

• Contact every 6.35 days

• Range from Lunar South Pole can be 10,000-70,000 km

• Latitudes below 60-deg South gets 6+ days of contact per 6.35 days

• Communication gaps at Lunar South Pole is no more than 6 hours per cycle

• S. Pole has no or low visibility with Earth, and has to rely on relay orbiter

• An additional ground station in S. Hemisphere (e.g. Hartebeesthoek, S. Africa) helps to eliminate the daily short gaps

Figure 4. Lunar Gateway NRHO - View & Range from Lunar South Pole

NASA is actively defining lunar interoperability standards and architectures that will provide phased Communication and Position, Navigation, and Timing (CPNT) support for a heterogeneous set of space assets delivered by a variety of providers. These assets may be operated by a broad range of participants: government and commercial organizations, academic entities, and others.

By providing a description of potential user needs and corresponding lunar network services, these studies will illuminate where and how service providers can be integrated, providing for continued growth, expansion, and evolution as new innovations, capabilities, standards, and technologies emerge.

4. Near Space Network Interfaces and Capabilities

Interface/ Capability1 Direct to Earth Space Relay

Terrestrial Link Data Transport Capabilities Data Storage Station Storage: 5-30 days

Cloud-based: Mission-driven 7 days

Network Data Rate

Mission-driven (up to 1.2 Gbps)

SLE

Protocols

F-CLTU, EF-CLTU (Forward) RAF, RCF, ROCF (Return)

SLE Versions Supported 2

CCSDS 910.4, CCSDS 911.1, CCSDS 911.2, CCSDS 911.5,

CCSDS 912.1, CCSDS 912.11, CCSDS 912.3, CCSDS 913.1

Offline-Data Transfer CFDP, SFTP

Security Trusted Networks (Access Controls, Firewalls, Authentications, etc.)

Spacecraft Navigation Tracking Capabilities

Radiometric Tracking Services

Tone Ranging 1-way or 2-way Doppler Antenna Angle Data

Spread Spectrum Ranging 1-way or 2-way Doppler Antenna Angle Data

Radiometric Measurement

Range:

S-band: < 5 meters, 1σ

Range:

≤ 2.73 meters, 1σ

Accuracy Doppler (Range-Rate):

S-band 1-way: ≤ 30 mm/s, 1σ S-band 2-way: ≤ 15 mm/s, 1σ X-band 1-way: ≤ 7 mm/s, 1σ Ka-band 1-way: ≤ 2 mm/s, 1σ Antenna Angles:

S: 0.03°, X: 0.05° Ka: 0.01° (auto), 0.05° (program)

Doppler (Range-Rate):

1-way ≤ 1.55 mm/s, 1σ 2-way ≤ 3.1 mm/s, 1σ Antenna Angles:

≤ 0.1°

Other Antenna Slew Rate: Time Transfer Measurement:

Azimuth and Elevation:

≥ 10°/sec (10°/sec2) * Train: ≥ 5°/sec (5°/sec2)

* WS1 18-m system ≥ 2°/sec (1°/sec2)

User Spacecraft Clock Calibration System: ≤ ±5 μs Return Channel Time Delay:

±25% of a bit period

Service Management, Planning and Scheduling Monitoring Real-time Monitoring and Reporting Scheduling Advanced and on-demand scheduling via web-based interfaces.

Service Accounting

Provides proficiency statistics, reporting of total support time.

Mission Integration and Operational Support Customer Mission Engineering and Support Services 3

Requirements Development, Mission Planning, Analysis and Design, Integration and Network Compatibility Testing, Operational Scheduling, Launch & Commissioning Support, Mission Operations Support, Monitor and Control, Tracking & Orbit Determination, Critical Event Support (Maneuvers, EOL Disposal, etc.), Data Storage and Distribution, Readiness Reviews, Post Launch Reports and Lessons Learned Reviews.

Optical Communications Capabilities (Demonstration Only) Wavelength 1550 nm Max Forward Data Rate 1 2

20.4 Mbps 1.244 Gbps

Max Return Data Rate 1 2

261 Mbps 1.244 Gbps

Modulation 2

PPM (Order 16 or 32) PPM (Order 16) or DPSK

Encoding 2 3 SCC (Rate 1/3 or Rate 2/3) SCC (Rate 1/2)

Framing Ethernet AOS, Ethernet

5. Objectives of Appendix O

NASA is actively moving towards commercial-provisioned services targeting 100% commercial providers for DTE services by 2023 and establishing lunar space relay and navigation service capabilities by the mid-2020s. The primary objective of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2) Omnibus Broad Area Announcement (BAA) Appendix O is to conduct Thrust Area 1 of an industry led capability study to explore and demonstrate future enhancements and innovative communication capabilities needed for NASA’s communication and navigation missions. These studies and demonstrations are intended to inform NASA and its stakeholders on industry’s TT&C capabilities and future innovations and concepts that would enable a commercial TT&C marketplace where NASA is one of many customers. The four major objectives of this study (Thrust Area 1) are:

1. Understanding innovations and advancements in RF compatibility testing that will lead to efficiencies of Near Space Network radio frequency architectures.

2. Address industry best practices, tools and capabilities related to Mission Planning & Scheduling.

3. Understanding the barriers, challenges, and solutions associated with integration of optical communications ground terminals into the Near Space Network architecture.

4. Understanding innovations and advancements in implementation of software defined radios and cloud computing assets into the Near Space Network architecture.

NASA’s commercialization goals will be enhanced by the knowledge gained through the outcomes of this study by U.S. industry partners and participants of innovative concepts of operations and identify capability enhancements using automation in network service management, to provide cost-effective state of the art commercial DTE and lunar space relay services. Offerors may provide a single proposal that addresses any, multiple, or all of the four major objectives listed above. The proposal shall identify, by section number and heading, the specific study topics addressed when responding in their proposal. This procurement does not include commercializing any TT&C services or technologies. If deemed appropriate by the Government, commercialization will occur through other, separate procurement activities.

6. Capability Study and Demonstration Statement of Objectives (SOO)

NASA is seeking capability studies from existing commercial ground station network operators to provide current concepts and innovative solutions planned for the study topics below. The purpose of this capabilities study will be to produce an industry best practices reference guide with lessons learned covering all aspects of supporting commercial ground segment worldwide network(s) for both commercial and government spacecraft operating in LEO, MEO, and GEO.

The offerors shall provide a detailed study and demonstrations of innovative tools to be employed in Satellite Ground Operations as defined below in the four areas below.

6.1.1. Study Area #1: RF Compatibility Testing and Future Innovation

The offeror shall address detailed approaches and demonstrations of innovations and tools employed in the standardized minimum set of Spacecraft-Earth Station tests required to ensure compatibility.

The offeror shall address RF Compatibility Testing methodology, state-of-the-art best practices and provide analysis and demonstration to include addressing the following concepts:

• 6.1.1.1 The offeror shall address Methodologies of verification of the Telemetry, Tracking, Command and ranging (TTC&R) interfaces between the supporting commercial ground segment and both commercial and government spacecraft operating in LEO, MEO and GEO.

• 6.1.1.2 The offeror shall address calibration, verification, and mission assurance methodologies for ensuring the RF equipment employed by the Ground Station operators is in satisfactory operational state for use in launch operations and in routine support of the spacecraft on-orbit.

• 6.1.1.3 The offeror shall address best practices related to optimized testing procedures employed for testing repeated missions with the same communications systems.

• 6.1.1.4 The offeror shall address standardization approaches to verify the equipment meets proper specifications relating to performance, environment, reliability, and interface capabilities.

• 6.1.1.5 The offeror shall address and provide an analysis and demonstration of automation techniques used in standardized spacecraft compatibility testing.

• 6.1.1.6 The offeror shall address and provide an analysis and demonstration of innovation currently in use supporting compatibility testing.

• 6.1.1.7 Provide an analysis and demonstration of tools currently in use supporting compatibility testing.

• 6.1.1.8 The offeror shall provide a detailed technical review and demonstration of industry state-of-the-art best practices in the following non-RF testing scenarios, to include equipment used, test configurations, duration, and post-test analysis activities:

o Non-RF Testing Scenario 1: Calibration Tests of the full uplink and downlink system o Non-RF Testing Scenario 2: Input/Output Level Losses o Testing Scenario 3: Ranging System Setup and Calibration o Testing Scenario 4: Doppler Pre-Test Measurements

• 6.1.1.9 The offeror shall address Spacecraft (S/C) Radio Frequency Tests using a real-world spacecraft or spacecraft simulator to do run the following test cases and report results.

o S/C Transmitter Frequency and Stability o S/C Transmitter RF Spectrum o S/C Receiver Best Lock Frequency Determination o S/C Receiver Acquisition Frequency Range and Rate o S/C Receiver Tracking Range and Rate o S/C Receiver RF Acquisition Threshold

• 6.1.1.10 The offeror shall address Telemetry Tests using a real-world spacecraft or spacecraft simulator o Telemetry Modulation Index o Telemetry Receiver Carrier Threshold o Telemetry Bit Error Rate o Telemetry Spectrum o Frequency Stability and Offset o Coherent Turnaround Frequency o Frequency Modulation Deviation o Power Output o Telemetry Digital Recording o Data Quality Analysis o Ground Receiver Acquisition

• 6.1.1.11 The offeror shall address Telecommand Tests using a real-world spacecraft or spacecraft simulator o S/C Receiver Telecommand and Carrier Thresholds o S/C Receiver Sensitivity to Telecommand Phase Modulation o Telecommand Receiver Spurious Carrier Immunity o Telecommand Receiver Spurious Modulation Immunity

• 6.1.1.12 The offeror shall address Ranging Tests using a real-world spacecraft o Transponder Ranging Delay o Downlink Modulation Index vs. Uplink Modulation Index o Downlink Modulation Index vs. Uplink Signal-to-Noise Power o Ranging Downlink Spectrum o Doppler Test o Simultaneous Mode Verification

• 6.1.1.13 The offeror shall address Antenna Pointing/Tracking System Tests using a real-world spacecraft o Receiver Carrier Signal Level Threshold

6.1.2. Study Area #2: Planning and Scheduling

The offeror shall address industry best practices, tools and capabilities related to Mission Planning & Scheduling specifically addressing the following 5 major functional characteristics:

6.1.2.1. The offeror shall address Planning & Scheduling horizons as follows:

• Long-term Planning: typical duration in the order of several years to several months or even weeks. This planning cycle could be concerned with the overall achievement of the mission objectives, impacted by the long-term spacecraft orbit and network capability and planning, with a first iteration of the resources and constraints.

• Medium-term Planning: typical duration in the order of several months to several weeks. This planning cycle is concerned with the more detailed network planning and the allocation of resources, such that the different requirement involved in the Mission Ops and Launch Support

• Short-term Planning: typical duration in the order of several weeks to several days, or even hours (e.g., in the case of robotic surface operations).

6.1.2.2. The offeror shall address Capabilities related Centralize vs.

Distributed Planning & Scheduling as follows:

• In some missions, the planning may be centralized in a single function.

In other space missions, the planning functions may be distributed over multiple entities on the ground or on board, where each entity will be involved in a part of the overall planning.

6.1.2.3. The offeror shall address the fidelity of Planning Requests, Plans, and feedback over successive planning and scheduling cycles as follows:

• Expanding high-level Planning Requests to detailed activities based on the activity hierarchy.

• Expanding a single Planning Request into multiple activities based on repeat rules.

• Refining a request time range to a smaller time range or a specific time.

• Resolving a Planning Event to a specific predicted time.

• Elaborating on Planning Constraints based on a more accurate projection of the usage of network resources.

6.1.2.4. The offeror shall address Interoperability Planning & Scheduling

Scenarios: Spacecraft from One Agency Hosts A Payload from Another Agency

• Address the use case of a spacecraft from one agency hosting a payload from another agency and the dependencies between the payload and the spacecraft platform from a scheduling perspective

6.1.2.5. The offeror shall address the Planning & Scheduling Software Platforms using open standards and COTS Application Program Interfaces (API).

6.1.3. Study Area #3: Integration of Optical Ground Terminal into Network Operations

Optical communications and navigation technologies offer the promise of extremely high data rates at lower power and smaller size than comparable Radio Frequency (RF) capabilities with such narrow beams that they also provide Low Probability of Detection, Interception, and Geolocation (LPD/LPI/LPG). To ensure the space segments of different vendors are compatible with optical ground stations from different providers, key technical parameters need to be standardized with sufficient flexibility to ensure optical links that are robust and offer the full range of operational and environmental conditions and yet allow for innovative implementations.

The offeror shall provide detailed approaches and demonstrations of innovations and tools that will promote integration of optical ground terminals into network operations. The Offeror shall address the concepts listed below in their assessment.

6.1.3.1. The Offeror shall address Optical Communications Ground Terminal Site Selection and Bandwidth: Address innovative, low-cost approaches to site selection and terminal technologies that consider challenges associated with pointing, acquisition, tracking, and dealing with atmospheric and weather complexities.

6.1.3.2. The Offeror shall address Integration of Optical Communications

Technology and Existing RF Network Capabilities: Address innovative, low-cost approaches to the development of a standard optical ground terminal design that is flexible enough to serve as a receiver for a wide range of future missions – a ground terminal that can be quickly reconfigured to receive downlinks at different wavelengths using different signal formats.

6.1.3.3. The Offeror shall address Utilization of Interoperability Testing and

Integration Verification & Validation (IV&V): Address how IV&V can be conducted in optical communications test facilities, through modeling and simulation, or demonstrated through optical communications equipped on-orbit prototypes to explore cost-effective, innovative ways to assess the impact of software updates, hardware refreshes, and other issues impacting the interaction of multiple segments.

6.1.3.4. The Offeror shall address Security Considerations at the Network

Layer: Address innovative architectural elements that serve to inform the larger operational context of secure optical systems in a world where cyber threats continue to increase.

6.1.3.5. The Offeror shall address Optical Communications and Navigation

Standards Proliferation: Demonstrate optical technology that bolsters cohesion throughout key technical parameters with sufficient flexibility to ensure optical links that are robust and thrive within the full range of operational and environmental conditions and yet allow for innovative implementations.

6.1.3.6. The Offeror shall address Collaboration Opportunities for New

Applications of Optical Communications Technology and provide a roadmap for enterprise collaboration with NASA on developing new services applications using NASA and/or industry-provided optical communications technology via a shared investment, technology transfer and/or commercialization opportunity, with an industry collaborator maintaining a sustained presence as the commercial service provider.

6.1.4. Study Area #4: Digital Signal Processing in the Cloud (Software Defined Radios in

Cloud)

The offeror shall address innovative and cost-effective solutions to the following challenges of digitally processing RF signals through the development of a technical roadmap to explore these items.

• 6.1.4.1 The offeror shall address Technical viability of a software modem for RF signal processing on the ground or in the cloud.

• 6.1.4.2 The offeror shall address Detailed description and innovations related to signal processing functions for satellite space-ground operational requirements.

• 6.1.4.3 The offeror shall address Techniques for modulation and demodulation of common waveforms and Forward Error Correction (FEC) methods using Open Standards.

• 6.1.4.4 The offeror shall address Backwards compatibility issues and challenges related to traditional RF systems.

• 6.1.4.5 The offeror shall address Methodologies of manipulating different types of signals with the intention of filtering, measuring, or compressing and producing analog signals.

• 6.1.4.6 The offeror shall address Detailed description of digital signal process key components to include: computing engine, data memory, program memory and input/output defined as follows.

o 6.1.4.6.1 The offeror shall address Computing engine: Mathematical manipulations, calculations, and processes by accessing the program, or task, from the Program Memory and the information stored in the Data Memory o 6.1.4.6.2 The offeror shall address Data Memory: Information storage to be process working hand-in-hand with program memory o 6.1.4.6.3 The offeror shall address Program Memory: Program storage that the Digital Signal Processing algorithm will use to process, compress or manipulate o 6.1.4.6.4 The offeror shall address I/O: External ports, serial ports, timers and connecting to external interfaces

7. General Information for Respondents

Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Announcement Title: NextSTEP-2 BAA, Appendix O: Capability Studies for NASA Communications and Navigation Network Direct-to-Earth (DTE) and Lunar Space Relay (LSR) Commercialization Services

NAICS Code: 541715

Responsible Office: GSFC/Commercialization, Innovation, and Synergies (CIS) Office

Point of Contact: Contracting Officer:

8. Inquiries

Due April 08, 2022, 5:00pm Eastern Time. Questions shall not contain proprietary information nor require proprietary information in the response. NASA will not provide evaluations, opinions, or recommendations regarding any suggested approaches or concepts. All questions shall be directed via e-mail to bianca.a.peters@nasa.gov and eric.l.poole@nasa.gov no later than the date specified above. Inquiries shall identify the Company Name, BAA number, and this Appendix O in the subject field of e-mails.

9. Proposals Due

Proposals must be submitted electronically in accordance with instructions detailed in Section 13.1: Instructions for Proposals, no later than April 28, 2022, 5:00pm Eastern Time.

10. Eligibility Information and Other Considerations

This solicitation topic is open to non-Government U.S. institutions (companies, universities, nonprofit organizations). NASA civil servants, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) employees, national laboratories, and Federally Funded Research and development Centers (FFRDCs) shall not be proposed as a Prime Contractor on any effort associated with this announcement but may participate as a team member. Other eligibility information is also included in the omnibus portion of this BAA.

The Aerospace Corporation will be subject to the “Full Limitation” related to Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI). The NASA-wide Specialized Engineering, Evaluation and Test Services (NSEETS) contract with The Aerospace Corporation creates an unmitigable organizational conflict of interest for The Aerospace Corporation in the event that any business unit of The Aerospace Corporation has a proposed role as prime contractor, subcontractor, or participating organization. Because of this organizational conflict of interest, The Aerospace Corporation is precluded from participating in any capacity in support of a respondent under this Appendix.

11. Corporate Resources

The Offeror shall describe in their proposal their ability to provide a financial commitment to the public/private partnership formed under this Appendix using BAA Attachment F – Corporate mailto:bianca.a.peters@nasa.gov mailto:eric.l.poole@nasa.gov

Contribution Worksheet. The overall effort is defined as the combination of corporate contribution and government resources invested in the proposed effort. A corporate contribution is required, however there is no mandatory minimum contribution required for eligibility under Appendix O. The reasonableness of the corporate contribution will be evaluated as part of the Technical Merit evaluation.

Corporate contribution may be in the form of direct labor, travel, consumables, hardware/software development, launch transportation, or other in-kind contributions. Also, other reasonable forms of corporate contribution including travel directly related to achieving proposed objectives, investments in special facilities or equipment, tooling or other prior private investment, and internally funded technology maturation such as Independent Research and Development (IRAD), are deemed acceptable for this effort. State and local government contributions may be included with private corporate resources.

The value of participation by federally funded participants and/or the non-reimbursable use of federal government facilities shall be added to the Government Resources estimate within the Offeror’s Attachment D – Corporate Contribution Worksheet.

Criteria and procedures for the allowability and allocability of cash and non-cash contributions shall be governed by FAR Parts 30 and 31, and NFS Parts 1830 and 1831. NASA reserves the right to hold due diligence discussions to make reasonable determinations regarding corporate contributions.

12. Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)

NASA has determined that the receipt of a contract from this appendix will not constitute an OCI based on biased ground rules. NASA based this determination on section 9.505-2 (b) (1) (iii) which provides an exception for preparing specifications or work statement. This exemption applies when more than one offeror has been involved in preparing the statement of work. NASA intends to award two or more contracts for studies. Additionally, the studies will provide valuable information for the Statement of Work but are not to write the specifications or work statement.

However, this acquisition may give rise to an OCI. Accordingly, the attention of prospective Offerors is invited to FAR Subpart 9.5 – Organizational Conflicts of Interest. Each Offeror shall submit an Attachment E – OCI Avoidance Plan (OCI Plan) with its proposal. The OCI Plan will be considered in determining the contractor’s responsibility to perform this contract. As such, the Government may conduct exchanges with any Offeror at any time during the evaluation process concerning its OCI Submission. A NASA approved OCI Plan shall be required in order for a contractor to be eligible for award of this contract.

The proposed OCI Plan shall be consistent with all other areas of the proposal. Material inconsistencies between the OCI Plan and other proposal areas may render the proposal invalid, resulting in an unacceptable proposal that is ineligible for award. The proposed OCI Plan is not page limited.

Description of Potential Conflict. The nature of this OCI is: Unequal Access to Information. There https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=browsefar https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/nfstoc.htm is a concern that the successful prime contractor (or first tier subcontractor(s)), may have access to another companies’ proprietary, business confidential, or financial data/nonpublic Government sensitive information, which may give rise to an unfair competitive advantage in future competitions.

(c) Responsibility of Offeror.

(1) Applying the principles of FAR Subpart 9.5, each Offeror shall assess whether there is an OCI associated with the proposal it submits. The Offeror must explain the actions it intends to use to resolve any OCI identified by the Government or identified through its own assessment.

(2) Offerors shall inform NASA of any potential conflicts of interest, including those involving contracts with other Government organizations, as part of the OCI Submission in paragraph (g) below. NASA will use this information to determine whether resolution of those conflicts will be required.

(3) If the Offeror’s proposed action to resolve an OCI is not acceptable, NASA will notify the Offeror, providing the reasons why its proposed resolution is not considered acceptable and allow the Offeror a reasonable opportunity to respond before making a final decision on the OCI. In the event that the Offeror is not successful in resolving an identified conflict, the Offeror may be determined to be ineligible for award.

(d) Representation. By submission of its offer, the Offeror represents, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that –

(1) there are no relevant facts that could give rise to an OCI, as defined in FAR Part 2; or

(2) the Offeror has disclosed all relevant information regarding any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

(e) Termination for default or termination for cause. If the successful Offeror was aware, or should have been aware, of an OCI before award of this contract and did not fully disclose that conflict to NASA, the Government may terminate the contract for default or cause.

(f) Waiver. The agency reserves the right to waive the requirements of FAR 9.5, in accordance with FAR 9.503.

(g) The Offeror’s OCI Submission shall contain the following:

(1) OCI Assessment. The Offeror shall identify any organizational interests (financial, contractual or other) that would be affected by performance of the Statement of Work requirements, whether by it or its proposed subcontractors. This includes recently performed (within 2 years prior to the proposal due date), currently performed, or planned work (including future competitive proposals), whether as a prime contract holder or a subcontractor.

The Offeror shall include a list of all of its and its proposed subcontractor’s NASA contracts and subcontracts in its submission. For each contract and subcontract listed by the prime contractor and its subcontractor, the Offeror shall: (1) identify the contract number; (2) identify the name, address, and telephone number of the customer(s); (3) describe the scope of work in sufficient detail to ascertain the likelihood of a conflict with performance of the SOW requirements of this contract; and (4) discuss any potential conflicts arising from performance of the listed contracts and award of this contract and any safeguards to be implemented by the Contractor to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the conflicts.

For non-NASA contracts, the Offeror shall list any of its and its proposed subcontractor’s contracts or subcontracts that may give rise to an OCI. For each contract and subcontract listed, the Offeror shall: (1) identify the contract by number and name; (2) identify the name, address, and telephone number of the customer(s); and (3) describe the potential conflict and any safeguards to be implemented by the Contractor to avoid, mitigate, or neutralize the conflict.

For financial or other conflicts that could arise from performance of the SOW requirements of this contract, the Offeror shall address the nature and extent of the financial interest and any entity or entities involved in the financial relationship.

If any of the interests identified above may give rise to a conflict or potential conflict, the Offeror shall address how it will avoid, neutralize, or mitigate the OCI. Sufficient information must be provided to allow a meaningful evaluation of the potential effect of the interest on the performance of the statement of work.

(2) OCI Plan. The Offeror shall submit an OCI Plan that, once approved by the Contracting Officer (CO), will be incorporated into any resulting contract. The OCI Plan shall contain the following:

Demonstration of ability to define and properly identify the three types of organizational conflicts of interest that may arise (Unequal Access to Information, Biased Ground Rules, and Impaired objectivity).

Identification and description of company roles, responsibilities, and procedures for screening (i.e., identifying/recognizing, analyzing/evaluating, resolving, and reporting) existing and new business opportunities for actual/potential OCIs.

Description of how the Offeror intends to notify employees of the requirements of this plan and to document that employees received such notice. To the extent this requirement is accomplished through employee training, the OCI Plan shall include a copy of the template to be used for training certification.

Description of how the Offeror will report any breaches to the CO, and implement any necessary corrective actions. The OCI Plan should reflect that the Offeror will immediately implement any corrective action steps needed to negate or mitigate the impact of a breach, while also notifying the CO of the breach and coordinating its proposed corrective action approach with the CO as quickly as practicable. Final resolution of the corrective action must be approved by the CO.

Identification of any affiliated companies/entities (e.g., a parent company or a wholly-owned subsidiary) and procedures for coordinating OCIs with such affiliated companies/entities.

Reporting of all potential/actual OCIs identified during performance of the contract to the CO. An OCI report shall include (1) a description of the conflict, (2) the plan for resolving the conflict, and

(3) the benefits/risks vis-à-vis contract performance associated with plan approval/acceptance.

Explanation of how the contractor will flow down the provisions of this mitigation plan to any subcontractor that may have a conflict with regard to performing the requirements of this contract.

Description of any organizational and employee sanctions for violations of established OCI procedures/requirements/guidelines.

Detailed discussion of neutralization, mitigation or avoidance measures for any conflict or potential conflict identified in the Offeror’s OCI Assessment provided in response to paragraph (g)(1) above.

Explanation of how the OCI Plan will be updated to address OCIs that may arise during performance. The Plan should reflect that any updates must be approved by the CO and the updates/changes to the Plan must be incorporated in the contract to be effective.

As this contract contains NASA FAR Supplement clause 1852.237-72, Access to Sensitive Information, the OCI Plan shall also address all items required by that clause, including:

Utilize any sensitive information coming into its possession only for the purpose of performing the services specified in its contract.

Safeguard sensitive information coming into its possession from unauthorized use and disclosure.

Allow access to sensitive information only to those employees that need it to perform services under its contract.

Preclude access and disclosure of sensitive information to persons and entities outside of the service provider’s organization.

Include a non-disclosure statement, a requirement for employees having access to sensitive information.

Include a Cleared Authorized Employees List for contract.

13. Proposal Submission Information

13.1. Instructions for Proposals

Applicants shall use the email: bianca.a.peters@nasa.gov and eric.l.poole@nasa.gov for proposal submissions. The email submission shall identify the email as “VENDORNAME – NNH16ZCQ001K – CIS Capability Studies Proposal Submission” in the subject field of the e-mail.

mailto:bianca.a.peters@nasa.gov mailto:eric.l.poole@nasa.gov

See NextSTEP-2 Omnibus BAA for general instructions. The specific instructions in this section are in addition to or supersede the general instructions in the NextSTEP-2 Omnibus BAA and apply to this Appendix only.

Requirements in this Appendix supersede any requirements in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers or in the omnibus BAA. If any requirements conflict between the omnibus solicitation, Appendix O takes precedence.

Failure to submit a complete electronic proposal by the due date and time specified for this Appendix shall result in the proposal being considered late, and shall be handled in accordance with FAR 15.208(b).

There is a 12 MB limit for the electronic media file size for proposals. Only attachments that are specifically requested in this Appendix should be submitted. The requested proposal electronic naming convention is as follows: “VENDORNAME – NNH16ZCQ001K – CIS Capability Studies Proposal Submission.” All the proposal files may be compressed (zipped) into one file titled “NNH16ZCQ001K_CISCS_VENDORNAME.zip” or uploaded individually. The electronic proposal shall contain all information required by the solicitation to be determined responsive. Files shall not have password protection, encryption, or any access or viewing restrictions.

14. Proposal Format and Contents

The proposal format and content requirements as outlined in this section below are specific to this Appendix and supersede the instructions in the omnibus BAA. The required sections of the proposal must be submitted as one searchable, unlocked PDF file with edit permission enabled.

Applicants must comply with the format and page limit requirements as described in this Appendix.

The page count limits are described in Table 1: Overview of Proposal Sections and Page Limitations. Other Volumes and attachments as described in Table 1: Overview of Proposal Sections and Page Limitations will not be included in the page count. Sections of the proposal that are not page limited do not need to abide by the font, size or margin requirements of the page limited sections, although it is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure readability.

All pages in each section shall be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) for contents subject to page limitations. A page is defined as one side of a sheet, 8 1/2" x 11" with at least one-inch margins on all sides, using not smaller than 12-point font, with the exception of tables and figures, which may use 8-point font. Pages in excess of the page limits specified in Table 1: Overview of Proposal Sections and Page Limitations for each section will not be evaluated. Minor informalities or irregularities in a proposal that can be adjusted, corrected, or waived without being prejudicial to other Offerors may be accepted if it is immaterial to the Appendix. Pages contained in a page limited sections of the proposal which do not comply with the Proposal Format and Contents requirements may be returned by the Government and not evaluated.

https://www.nasa.gov/content/nextstep-2-omnibus-baa

Table 1. Overview of Proposal Sections and Page Limitations Volume No. File Type Section No. Title Page Limits*

Title Page 1 1 PDF Executive Summary 5 2 PDF 2.1 Proof of Eligibility 3

2.2 Qualifications of Offeror 5

2.3 Study Approach**

2.3.1 Study #1 10

2.3.2 Study #2 10

2.3.3 Study #3 10

2.3.4 Study #4 10

3 PDF Price Proposal No Limit

3.1 Pricing Template No Limit

3.2 Offeror Narrative / Basis of Estimate No Limit

Attachments PDF A Statement of Work No Limit

PDF B Model Contract No Limit PDF C List of Proposed Deliverables No Limit PDF D Corporate Contribution Worksheet No Limit PDF E OCI Avoidance Plan No Limit

* The page limit excludes any BOE spreadsheets associated with the Proposal.

** Page limitation is established for each of the Offeror’s proposed Study Approaches.

14.1. Title Page

• Include any Notice of Restriction on Use and Disclosure of Proposal Information

• An optional graphic image may be included

• The Offeror’s name for the proposal or proposed project

• Date of the proposal

• The title, solicitation number and Appendix being responded to of this Announcement

• Organization name and address

• Offeror point of contact name, title, e-mail address, and phone number

• Company CAGE Code and/or Unique Entity ID (SAM) – UEI (SAM)

• 120-day proposal validity period

14.2. Executive Summary

Proposals shall include an executive summary describing the prominent and distinguishing features of the proposal that demonstrate the Offeror’s plans and ability to meet the goals and objectives in Section 5: Objectives of Appendix O.

The executive summary shall include the name and UEI (SAM) of the Offeror, subcontractors, and other team members. The executive summary should stand alone and not directly reference other sections of the proposal. The executive summary submitted with the proposal may include proprietary data as it will not be publicly released. A publicly releasable version of the executive summary will be required following contract award.

14.3. Proof of Eligibility

The proposal shall provide information showing that the Offeror and all team members are eligible participants as stipulated in NextSTEP-2 Omnibus BAA, Section 3: Eligibility Information and Section 10: Eligibility Information and Other Considerations of this Appendix.