RPOC V Sources Sought.pdf

Engineering Services for Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Capture (RPOC)

This Sources Sought Notice (SSN) outlines the minimum requirements to provide engineering services (research, analysis, design, development, integration, verification, test, evaluation, and operations support) supporting Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C), system engineering, and rendezvous and proximity operations initiatives. The Offeror must provide engineering support in projects and technical areas such as those below in support of the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and its external customers:

• International Space Station (ISS) Rendezvous, Proximity Operations and Capture

(RPOC)

• Exploration Systems (ES) and Space Operations (SO) Program support and related exploration Initiatives

• Technology Development, Support, and Research

The scope of these tasks encompasses the program architecture definition, analysis and development, and the entire spacecraft definition and development process including requirements development, concept development, technology development, system design, system and vehicle evaluation, system and vehicle test, verification, integration, and operations support.

In order to support these elements of the spacecraft definition and development process, Offerors will develop analysis tools, including modeling of space vehicles, vehicle subsystems, dynamics, and environment in a high-fidelity simulation environment. Offerors will also develop tools to support command and monitoring analysis, including high fidelity graphics and user interfaces.

ISS RPOC

Analyze the spacecraft design and the rendezvous, proximity operations, and capture capabilities of the vehicles flying to/from the ISS. The analysis of the vehicles, trajectories, and operations shall include simulation of the vehicle, the ISS, and the environment. The vehicles currently included in this task support the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) Program and the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCAP) Program. In addition, any future vehicles developed to support Private Astronaut Missions (PAM) and private space station development (e.g. Axiom) will be supported under this task. RPOC assessments for the HTV (H- II Transfer Vehicle) as well any future vehicles rendezvousing with ISS will also be required.

Development of simulation and analysis tools for each of the vehicles using the existing NASA/JSC simulation development environments. These software tools will be used to support vehicle design and development evaluations, mission design assessments, ISS requirements analysis and verification, and ISS and crew safety evaluations.

Specifically, for all existing, and any follow-on vehicles, each vehicle’s ability to meet all ISS requirements during the ISS rendezvous, proximity operations, docking, undocking, and departure phases of flight will be assessed. Work will include development of an independent GN&C simulation of each vehicle, as well as, a review of development and certification products. In addition, the Offeror shall support the development, test, and verification of the ISS monitoring capabilities for monitoring the approach, docking maneuver, docking, undocking, and departure from the ISS.

ES and SO Program support and related exploration Initiatives Support NASA/JSC’s efforts related to the ES and SO Programs such as Orion, Gateway, and Human Lander Systems (HLS) and related Exploration Initiatives in the following GN&C related areas:

• Planning and strategy development support for NASA/JSC in the area of rendezvous, proximity operations and capture

• GN&C requirements development/assessment

• Architecture, mission design, reference mission assessments, GN&C system level evaluation and assessment

• GN&C technology assessments and evaluations.

• Planning, designing, and developing software tools and simulation products to support mission design/evaluation, requirements analysis and safety evaluation.

• Use of software, software tools, and simulation products to conduct mission design/evaluation, requirements analysis and safety evaluation.

• Ground and flight test definition and planning for rendezvous, proximity operations and capture

Technology Development, Support, and Research Research and develop prototype guidance, navigation, and control concepts to support improvements in the ascent, rendezvous, on-orbit, entry, and landing phases of flight. These include related systems/subsystems and software to enhance failure detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR), command and control, crew visualization and intervention and other vehicle or system/subsystem functions.

Provide specialized support for tool development and/or implementation in NASA/JSC’s development, analysis, and test labs. Specialized support includes support unique to the tools and models developed for the above tasks, support unique to the analysis of the above tasks, and support of hardware unique to the above tasks

Develop software, software tools, and simulations to support the guidance, navigation, and control technologies, along with prototype tools as required to validate new concepts, and development of ground and on-orbit test and demonstrations designed to investigate and validate new technologies.

In order to support the above activities, systems engineering support as well as requirements development and analysis may be required.

ISS RPOC