SATPC0041273 TAB 10 SOW REDACTED.pdf

This is a Statement of Work (SOW) issued by NASA's Exploration Projects and Integration Office at George C. Marshall Space Flight Center for the development of Sabatier catalyst formulations dated April 13, 2026.

NASA seeks a vendor to develop, synthesize, and produce a batch of Sabatier catalyst used in life support systems for advanced exploration. The Sabatier reactor converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methane and water. Previous testing on the International Space Station identified that sulfur, silicon, fluorine, and carbon contaminants poison the catalyst, necessitating development of poison-resistant formulations. The vendor must complete six primary tasks: (1) synthesize 500 cubic centimeters of baseline Sabatier catalyst using ruthenium chloride and TBD CPN alumina with ruthenium comprising approximately 20% by weight, with 400 cc delivered to NASA and 100 cc retained for comparative testing; (2) conduct literature research to identify minimum three alternate catalyst formulations with enhanced poison resistance, initially recommending one nickel-based formulation; (3) produce approximately 50 cc of selected alternate catalysts and determine light-off temperatures at specified H₂/CO₂ molar ratios and residence times; (4) identify and procure 1-2 commercially available methanation catalysts for comparative testing; (5) develop a Catalyst Data Package containing synthesis data, chemical formulation, quality assurance validation, and procedures; and (6) conduct 300-hour poisoning tests on baseline and selected alternate catalysts using six simultaneous contaminants (DMSO₂, DMSD, isobutane, CS₂, COS, and R-218 Freon) at specified concentrations per Table 1, with escalation to 10X concentrations if no degradation observed, and develop a Test Data Package documenting results. Testing specifications include ICES publication AIAA 2013-3528 as reference, thermal equilibrium establishment with minimum 15-minute equilibrium periods, and daily product concentration measurements. NASA will provide Ruthenium (III) Chloride precursor and technical authority oversight.