SAN Commercial Services Request for Information_22JAN2025.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS)

Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO) SWO Antenna Network (SAN)

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATIONS (FAR) PART 10 PROCEDURES. IT IS NOT A SOLICITATION NOR DOES IT GUARANTEE A SOLICITATION WILL BE ISSUED. REQUESTS FOR A SOLICITATION WILL NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE. IT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND IT DOES NOT OBLIGATE THE GOVERNMENT IN ANY WAY. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT REIMBURSE RESPONDENTS FOR ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH

RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST.

The Government will neither award a contract solely based on this notice, nor pay for any information submitted by respondents. This notice is a request by the Government to collect information from interested vendors for the purpose of market research.

In addition to Government employees, Government support service contractors from the following organizations will be involved in the evaluation of the RFI responses:

● The Aerospace Corporation

● MITRE

● Science and Technology Corporation (STC)

● Noblis

● INNOVIM

● ASRC Federal

● SSAI

● Columbus Technologies and Services Inc.

The above list is not necessarily exhaustive; additional organizations may be brought in as needed and in coordination with respondents. All contractor employees will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to accessing any RFI Responses.

I. Introduction

NOAA NESDIS is soliciting information through this RFI to survey vendor capabilities in preparation for a possible future release of one or more Request(s) for Proposal (RFP) to provide low latency, global telemetry and tracking services to support the NOAA Space Weather Observations (SWO) continuity observing missions stations at Earth-Sun Lagrange point 1 (L1). Ground Station as a Service (GSaaS) is required for two missions over the next decade:

● SWFO-L1 Mission: The Space Weather Follow On – L1 (SWFO-L1) is a single satellite mission launching no earlier than September 2025 with a nominal 5-year design life potentially extended to ten years.

● SOL Mission: The Space weather Observations at L1 (SOL) is dual-satellite project planned for launches in 2029 (SOL-A) and 2032 (SOL-B) each will have a nominal 5.5-year design life potentially extended to 10.5 years. In previous notices, the SOL satellites were identified as the “L1 Series”.

Satellites stationed at Lagrange point L1 are on the Sun-Earth line. From the vantage point of Earth, their position will track across the sky and around the world like the path of the Sun. NOAA requires uninterrupted data acquisition and radiometric tracking using a coordinated antenna network, incorporating NOAA assets, commercial GSaaS, international partnerships, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation Program (SCaN). The subject of this RFI is the commercial GSaaS, a follow-on to the existing SWFO Antenna Network (SAN) commercial services. The current contract to period of performance provide telemetry downlink services to SWFO-L1 expires in 2026; a follow-on must provide uninterrupted operational service to SWFO-L1. When the first SOL satellite (SOL-A) launches in 2029, commercial services will be required to support global telemetry downlink for either or both SWFO-L1 and SOL-A.

NOAA uses its own facilities to meet all nominal telemetry and tracking requirements when SWFO-L1 and SOL are in view of its ground stations at Wallops, VA and Fairmont, WV. The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research on the commercial ground antenna services available to meet the 24/7 need for telemetry downlinks from either or both SWFO-L1 and SOL, when they are not in view of Wallops and Fairmont as well as southern hemisphere radiometric tracking services to the two missions. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Moderate Impact or equivalent security and low latency data transport from the commercial ground antennas to dual, redundant NOAA Internet points of presence in the United States are required.

Scope limitation: Satellite commanding, mission planning, provision or operation of NOAA ground station assets, the provision of NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) or Near Space Network (NSN) services, and the development, maintenance, and operation of the satellite operations facilities for these missions are outside the scope of this RFI.

a. Spacecraft Orbit Description

The SWFO-L1 and SOL mission orbits are a Lissajous orbit at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1. From Earth, the satellites will appear to be close to the Sun with a Sun-Earth-Vehicle (SEV) angle of not greater than 13 degrees and no less than 4 degrees and an orbital period of roughly seven months. For the purpose of link analysis, the maximum path distance to these satellites should be considered to be 1,605,000 km.

Figure 1: Sun-Earth-Vehicle Angle

b. SWO Antenna Network Architecture

NOAA ground antenna operations for SWO missions around L1 consist of world-wide distributed Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) ground sites and communications links between these ground sites and NOAA mission operations. SWO mission operations are conducted primarily at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) in Suitland, MD with backup at the NOAA Consolidated Backup (CBU) in Fairmont, WV. The following diagrams provide a high-level view of the interfaces:

Figure 2: Commercial GSaaS Message Architecture

Figure 3: Commercial GSaaS Communications Interfaces

Ground Operations Driving Requirements

Requirement Specification Operational Availability (AO)

AO ≥ 0.995 over 30 days, including weather and failure impacts.

Data Storage and Retrieval

Store downlinked and/or tracking data locally for up to 10 days; re-deliver upon request.

Security Compliance NIST SP 800-53 Moderate Impact or equivalent. Encrypted ground interfaces.

c. X-band Telemetry Description

The X-band telemetry characteristics for the SWFO-L1 and SOL missions are as follows:

Parameter SWFO-L1 SOL S/C EIRP (Minimum) 43 dBW, toward Earth center 48.5 dBW, toward Earth center Polarization LHCP LHCP Axial Ratio (Max) 1.5 dB (within ¼ dB beamwidth) 1.5 dB (within ¼ dB beamwidth) Frequency X-band: 8464 MHz X-band: 8400 – 8450 MHz Data Rate (Max) 140 kbps (before FEC and transfer framing) 400 kbps (before FEC and transfer framing)

FEC Performance FER: 1E-6 at worst-case Eb/N0 of 4 dB FER: 1E-6 at worst-case Eb/N0 of 4 dB Pulse Shaping Raised cosine (may increase implementation loss) Root raised cosine (may reduce implementation loss)

Estimated Required G/T

29dB/K (@ 5° elevation, clear sky) 29dB/K (@ 5° elevation, clear sky)

The higher spacecraft EIRP specification for SOL is intended to compensate for the higher data rate so that the ground station performance should be similar between SWFO-L1 and SOL.

X-band Downlink Requirements

Requirement Specification Global Visibility Continuous visibility > 5° elevation, complementing NOAA Wallops (VA) and

Fairmont (WV) sites.

Service Gap Maximum gap of 5 minutes.

Secure Data Streaming

Stream telemetry and housekeeping data to two NOAA Internet points of presence within 2 seconds of frame receipt.

Link Margin > 3 dB in nominal operation modes.

d. S-band Radiometric Tracking Description

The SWFO-L1 and SOL spacecraft are supported by NASA DSN radiometric tracking methods using Doppler and range tones. This requires two-way S-Band tracking data derived from a turn-around of the SAN station's S-Band uplink signal to a coherent S-band downlink carrier with a frequency ratio of 221/240. Ranging ground stations require a G/T of 22dB/K or greater, LHCP, and an EIRP of 73 dBW or more. S-band tracking will be simultaneous with X-band downlink. Both SWFO-L1 and SOL spacecraft will require radiometric tracking at least twice a day for one hour each, once from the northern hemisphere using NOAA-owned antennas and once from the southern hemisphere. The scope of this RFI is southern hemisphere ranging.

S-band Tracking Requirements

Requirement Specification Frequency S-band Link Margin > 6 dB in nominal operation modes.

Uplink EIRP At least 73 dBW at the 1 dB compression point of the transmit system.

Polarization LHCP Turn-Around Ratio 221/240 G/T Minimum 22 dB/K Spectral Mask Compliance

Meet NTIA Redbook Section 5.6 requirements.

Tracking Duration 1 hour of Doppler and range tracking from the southern hemisphere per session.

Simultaneous Operations

Perform telemetry reception, data playback, uplink, and two-way Doppler/range tracking.

Tracking Data Delivery

Deliver data as CCSDS Tracking Data Message to NOAA satellite operations

Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Commercial Antenna Services

NOAA seeks responses to this RFI to inform programmatic planning for procuring commercial services from 2026 to 2031. This period covers five years of support for the SWFO-L1 mission and preparation for the first SOL satellite launch in 2029, with continued services thereafter. Responses may address X-band telemetry downlink services, S-band ranging services, or both.

NOAA intends this RFI as a request for concepts, aiming to avoid burdensome requirements. The Government will not reimburse costs associated with the preparation or submission of responses. If an NDA is required for NOAA contractors to evaluate submissions, respondents should provide details.

Areas of Interest

A. X-band Downlink Services

1. Coverage Gaps: Describe proposed services for when SWFO-L1 and SOL spacecraft are not in view of NOAA-owned antennas at Wallops and Fairmont.

2. Station Details: Include the location, number of apertures, and status (existing or new) of proposed ground stations.

3. Capacity Increases: Specify timeframes and costs to increase capacity to address new satellite launches or temporary service losses from NOAA partner antennas.

4. Contingency Services: Describe vendor capabilities to provide contingency services situated in local time zones to serve as backups for NOAA facilities.

B. Southern Hemisphere Ranging Services

1. Coverage: Indicate whether the proposed service can meet southern hemisphere ranging requirements.

2. Station Details: Include the location, number of apertures, and status (existing or new) of proposed southern hemisphere ranging ground stations.

3. Performance Demonstration: Provide relevant antenna attributes demonstrating compliance with performance requirements.

C. Scheduling and Operations

1. Scheduling Approach: Describe methods for antenna scheduling and contingency/failover operations.

2. Security: Outline security controls for protecting data and operations.

3. Compatibility: Explain how the service will meet spacecraft compatibility and requirements.

D. Technical Considerations

1. Proprietary Standards: Indicate if the solution relies on unique or proprietary hardware/software.

2. Teaming Arrangements: Describe any partnerships included in the proposed solution.

3. Alternative Arrangements: Suggest alternative business arrangements to a service-level agreement NOAA should consider.

E. Business Considerations

1. Pricing: Specify whether pricing is structured hourly, daily, monthly, or otherwise.

2. Termination Costs: Specify costs associated with terminating services if they are no longer programmatically required, such as due to satellite loss or changing priorities.

F. Security Standards and Compliance

1. Standards Compliance: Confirm compliance with NIST SP 800-53 Moderate Impact standards or equivalent to assure data integrity and data and service availability.

2. Third-Party Audits: Indicate whether third-party compliance audit results are available.

3. Secure Connections: Describe the implementation of secure connections to NOAA internet points of presence.

4. Data Protection Measures: Provide details about measures for protecting mission data during transmission and storage.

G. Schedule

1. SWFO-L1 Service Transition: Provide a detailed process and timeline for transitioning service to the SWFO-L1 satellite, which will already be in orbit and operational at the time of contract award. Outline specific steps and measures the vendor will implement to guarantee a seamless transition with no interruption in operational service.

2. SOL-A Service Initiation: Provide a detailed process and timeline for initiating service to the SOL- A satellite, which will be in NASA development phase C at the time of contract award. Outline specific steps and measures the vendor will implement to guarantee a seamless initiation of service for SOL-A, currently scheduled to be launched June 2029.

3. Schedule Risks and Mitigations: Outline the major schedule risks and what mitigations are recommended.

H. Cost Drivers

1. Drivers: Identify aspects of the proposed services and requirements that significantly impact cost estimates.

2. Risk Mitigations: Discuss costs of additional services the Government might consider to mitigate schedule or technical risk or improve technical performance.

3. Opportunities: Discuss opportunities for cost savings with acceptable performance trade-offs.

4. Estimate: Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) total cost for five years of service for SWFO-L1 and SOL from 2026–2031.

5. Assumptions: Include key assumptions underlying the ROM.

J. Schedule and Milestones

1. Schedule: Provide an estimate for the overall schedule and key milestones from contract award to system readiness.

RFI Submittal Instructions

Comments and Questions

Comments and questions regarding this RFI must be submitted electronically to suzanna.espinoza@noaa.gov by February 3, 2025 at 1:00PM ET with the email Subject Line: RFI Questions-SWO-SANCommercialSvcs-2025. Respondents are advised that questions submitted and Government responses may be posted publicly on SAM.gov, although the identity of the requesting organization will be withheld.

Additional information requested:

A. Respondent’s name, address, point of contact, phone number and email address.

B. If a business, then firm’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and Cage Code as provided under the SAM system.

mailto:suzanna.espinoza@noaa.gov

C. If a business, then state the firm's SBA certified small business concern status or other socioeconomic status. Specifically identify if your firm is HUBZone-certified, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, Women Owned, or in the SBA’s 8(a) program. If your institution is not a small business, please state that it is a large business, FFRDC, university, UARC, or other.

D. Respondent’s previous work experience that is similar to that described above.

E. Any other pertinent documentation or information.

Responses are limited to 15-20 pages. A page is defined as an 8.5 by 11-inch area with information contained within an image area of 6.5 by 9-inches. Type size must be 12-point proportional font.

Information must be submitted in Microsoft Word DOCX or Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Supporting appendices, title page(s), tables, graphics, pictures, and figures are excluded from the page count.

Technical Responses

Technical responses to this RFI will be electronically submitted to suzanna.espinoza@noaa.gov not later than 1:00 PM Eastern Time on February 13, 2025 with the email Subject Line: RFI-SWO- SANCommercialSvcs-2025. Small business may indicate in its response which areas it is interested in for possible subcontracting opportunities. The electronic copy of your response must be in a searchable ".pdf format" and readable by the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

NOTE:

This RFI is being issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Proposals (RFP), a Request for Quotes (RFQ) or an indication that the Government will contract for any of the items and/or services contained in this notice. All information received in response to this notice that is marked Proprietary will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Responses to this notice will not be returned.

In submitting a response, the responder is solely responsible and accountable for all the expenses associated with the response.

Point of Contact

Suzanna Espinoza, Contracting Officer

NOAA/AGO/SIAD

suzanna.espinoza@noaa.gov

Acronyms

CBU (NOAA) Consolidated Backup CCSDS Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems DSN (NASA) Deep Space Network Eb/N0 Signal Energy to Noise Power Ratio (Eb/N0) EIRP Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power FEC Forward Error Correction FER Frame Error Rate G/T Gain over Temperature GSaaS Ground Station as a Service MOC Mission Operations Center NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service NIST SP National Institute for Standards and Technology Special Publication NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NSN (NASA) Near Space Network NSOF NOAA Satellite Operations Facility RFI Request for Information RFP Request for Proposal ROM Rough Order of Magnitude SAN SWFO (or SWO) Antenna Network SOL Space Weather Observations at Lagrange 1 SWFO-L1 Space Weather Follow-On – Lagrange 1 SWO (NESDIS Office of) Space Weather Observations