RFI-HyperSTEP-HotStructure-2-3-2025 (002).pdf

v-January 15, 2025

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Hot Structure for HyperSTEP Vehicle

Issue Date: February 3, 2025

Responses Due By: Feb. 18, 2025

Introduction

NASA has been developing a lifting-body design for hypersonic entry into planetary atmospheres with the initial application of landing humans on Mars1. However, a version of the vehicle could be a viable vehicle design for returning cargo and eventually crew from Low-Earth Orbit or from lunar vicinity. Recently, NASA has been developing a scaled-down version of this vehicle to serve as a hypersonic flight test bed – HyperSTEP2. The vehicle would provide a capability to test technologies at suborbital and orbital return velocities with several launch vehicles being considered. As currently designed, the vehicle has an optimized aerodynamic shape and has both propulsive (RCS-reaction control system) and body flap controls. During atmospheric entry the angle-of-attack is greater than 40 degrees and depends mostly on body flap control. The vehicle is recoverable using parachutes to slow its final descent.

A small prototype version of this vehicle is in design and an ablative Thermal Protection System (TPS) is baselined for the first sub-orbital flight (Version 1). However, a hot structure version of this vehicle (Version 2) is needed in the near future. Hot structures are systems in which the structural aeroshell is directly exposed to the heating environments. An example is the Space Shuttle Orbiter’s Reinforced Carbon/Carbon (RCC) nose caps and wing-leading-edge panels.

Other hot structure material systems, such as carbon/silicon carbide (C/SiC), SiC/SiC and high-temperature metallic alloys are also of interest for use on this vehicle. However, any candidate material system to be selected for use as the primary structure must have sufficient technical and manufacturing maturity to provide confidence in mission success.

The main objective for HyperSTEP is to be a flight test bed and therefore the vehicle needs to accommodate experiments including TPS and hot structure materials that are in development.

Therefore, the vehicle will provide locations where test samples can be integrated into the vehicle.

As the HyperSTEP vehicle is matured, the goal is for the vehicle to be reusable with minimal refurbishment between flights other than re-loading the parachutes and loading new experiments.

1 ‘Structural Mass Optimization with Manifest Packaging, and Outer Mold Line Updates of a Rigid Mid Lift‐to‐Drag Mars Entry Lander Vehicle’, AIAA SciTech Forum, 10.2514/6.2020‐1511.

2 ‘Steps Towards a Hypersonic Entry Test Platform’, AIAA SciTech Forum, 10.2514/6.2024‐1172.

Proposed HyperSTEP Vehicle with Hot-Structure

The HyperSTEP vehicle is a lifting body that flies at a large angle of attack and experiences maximum heat fluxes (greater than 100 Watts/cm2) on the nose and the deflected body flaps with low heat fluxes (less than 20 Watts/cm2) on the leeward side of the vehicle. The heat pulse is less than a couple of minutes in duration and then parachutes are deployed to slow the descent.

A sketch of the current HyperSTEP vehicle with overall dimensions is provided in Figure 1 with a body length of ~37 inches and a width of ~17 inches. NASA is also considering a larger version of this vehicle especially for orbital missions that is about 1.76 times larger (~65 inches in length and ~30 inches wide).

Figure 1 – Sketch of HyperSTEP Prototype.

A concept of a hot-structure version of a HyperSTEP vehicle in which the aeroshell is segmented into three components – nose cap, bottom ‘tub’ and top shell - is shown in Figure 2. The rationale for the segmentation of the aeroshell is as follows:

1) The nose region of the vehicle experiences the highest heating and may need to be replaced sooner than other components.

2) A replaceable nose cap allows the testing of alternate material systems at high heat fluxes.

3) Clearly identified locations for testing high-temperature materials is needed on the vehicle.

4) A removable top shell is needed to allow assembly of the internal subsystems into the vehicle.

Assembly w/o flaps

37.1” long x 16.5” wide x 13.73” tall

Figure 2 – Sketches of Aeroshell Components with Approximate Dimensions.

The interfaces between the components are not shown and need to be designed. Also, the integration of the high-temperature insulation into the vehicle is not shown.

The HyperSTEP vehicle uses two body flaps for control and these flaps are also planned to be fabricated out of hot structure materials. Figure 3 provides a notional sketch of the flap with key features of a bullnose to allow for deflection, a hinge-line and an actuator arm attach point. The nominal flap dimensions are also shown. The detailed design of the flap will be coordinated with the flap fabricator. For a larger vehicle, the flap planform increases to about 10.5-inches by 10.5 inches.

Figure 3 – Sketch of Nominal Body Flap.

Input Requested

NASA is issuing this RFI to obtain information for the following reasons:

1) Identify the potential sources for fabricating HyperSTEP vehicle hot structure components;

2) Identify the material systems and their capabilities for fabricating a hot-structure version of HyperSTEP;

3) Obtain Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) non-recurring and recurring costs for one or multiple ship sets. NASA has a target cost of less than $1M for each recurring single-use ship set and less than $2M for each reusable ship sets. If this target cost is not reasonable, please provide any supporting rationale to guide NASA’s understanding of the associated costs along with a discussion of any unknown costs or, if there is any area where industry feels like there may be significant risk that could (or could not) be mitigated, please provide a discussion therein as well.

4) Obtain estimates of fabrication time from order submittal and delivery for the first ship set and for subsequent ship sets. In the response, please provide any relevant discussion related to potential supply-chain issues that may pose risks or delays along with any design/development risks that may also pose delays.

It should be assumed that NASA will design and conduct the thermal and structural analysis of the vehicle with inputs from the potential supplier of the hot-structure components. NASA will be responsible for vehicle assembly and flight testing.

Responses should include the following:

1. Feedback on the proposed vehicle design including the proposed vehicle segments and the design of interfaces between segments.

2. Description of material system(s) recommended for the aeroshell and body flaps.

• Base material composition and density

• Coatings for oxidation protection

• Identify long-lead items for producing these materials

3. Description of manufacturing process

• Overview of fabrication steps and approximate timeline. Identify and describe other companies that are involved in any of the fabrication steps.

• Describe tooling required to fabricate and tooling longevity.

• Identify unique equipment including ovens and furnaces required and how they may limit size and/or throughput.

• Discussion of process maturity and examples of hardware fabricated with this process.

4. Heat flux capability of material systems

• Availability of high-temperature test data and reports

5. Availability of thermal and mechanical properties for material systems.

6. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost for delivering three flat panels of recommended material systems approximately 12-inches by 12-inches for NASA testing. Also, the ROM cost for delivering three test articles of a relevant geometry mutually agreed upon by NASA and the contractor.

7. ROM cost to manufacture the first shipset of components (3 aeroshell pieces and body flap pair) for the nominal vehicle (Figure 1).

8. Recurring ROM cost for additional vehicles up to five.

9. ROM additional cost for oxidation protection coatings

10. Estimate of the time frame required to deliver the first shipset of hot structure components once order is received.

11. Estimate of the time frame required to deliver additional shipsets of hot structure components once order is received.

12. Recommendations for NDE (Non-Destructive Evaluation) techniques for component acceptance testing.

13. ROM cost and delivery time frame for the first shipset of hot-structures components for a larger vehicle scaled by a factor of 1.76.

14. If applicable, please identify current government contracts that could be used to procure this hardware. Also, please identify other complementary programs/projects that may benefit from this effort.

15. Please provide an opinion regarding whether your company thinks this procurement qualifies as commercial or non-commercial.

16. The contemplated NAICS code is 336414 and PSC code of AR13. Please provide input regarding these selections (concur/non-concur). If you non-concur, please provide an alternate code. Additionally, please indicate your company’s size status for the recommended NAICS code.

• If the procurement meets the required threshold, a small business subcontracting plan may be required; please provide any feedback regarding your company’s views on the potential goals if one were to be required (for instance, roughly how much of the procurement could your company set aside for small businesses along with percentages for required socioeconomic categories).

Instructions for Submittal

Please provide a concise summary with your response. The summary shall include:

• Company's name, address, primary POC, and telephone number,

• Company's socioeconomic size classification (Large, Small, Small Disadvantaged, 8(a), Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone); number of years in business, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), CAGE code (if applicable).

• A description of the Company's specific capabilities that are relevant to the RFI requirements.

• An opinion about whether this would be considered a commercially available item/service or not.

• Recommendation regarding NAICS & PSC codes

• Subcontracting information

RFI Respondents should submit replies electronically to: Mr. Stephen Noethen, Contracting Officer, JSC Office of Procurement – BH at Stephen.d.noethen@nasa.gov.

The subject line of the e-mail shall read "HyperSTEP TPS and Hot Structure RFI.” Responders may submit proprietary information, export-controlled information (including International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) restricted information), or confidential information in response to this RFI, but this is strictly voluntary. Responses that contain proprietary, Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ITAR, or other controlled unclassified information (CUI), are required to clearly mark that data accordingly. ITAR/EAR data is allowed to be sent through e-mail or file transfer if properly labeled as such (see pages 29-30 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers at:

https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/nraguidebook/proposer2018.pdf)

Please use 12-point Times New Roman font where paragraphed, as well as single spaced pages printed one-sided. There is a 10 (ten) page limit on the response.

Path Forward

NASA is designing Version 1 of the vehicle with an ablative TPS and is planning for first launch in CY2026. Version 2 of the vehicle (hot-structure) would be designed and fabricated in Fall 2025 through CY2026 with a flight test in CY2027.

Upon receipt of responses to this RFI, NASA plans to use these submissions to prepare a solicitation for the potential selection of providers for future HyperSTEP flight tests requiring hot structure components.