STATEMENT OF WORK.pdf

Statement of Work (SOW)

Date: October 30, 2024 Task Name: Hazard Detection Lidar (HDL) Helicopter Flight Test

1. Scope

a. Background

HDL requires a flight test that will increase the technology readiness level of the instrument and gather data to be used for future simulations. HDL flight tests are required to mimic the actual Lunar flight trajectory and descent rates as closely as possible for validation. Fixed winged aircraft cannot meet the forward and descent rates needed for these tests so the use of rotor craft (helicopter) is necessary. All NASA flight operations are subject to NPR 7900.3D (Aircraft Operations Management). NPR 7900.3D requirement 10.1.4 [733] states that “All CAS (Commercial Aviation Services) operations shall be inspected by NASA Center Flight Operations personnel prior to contract award.” HDL flight tests require that the flight operations be conducted over terrain that closely matches the expected Lunar terrain. The research of current Lunar fields that are available found; one site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two sites in Texas at Blue Origin and Firefly Aerospace.

b. Detailed Summary of work

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Provide a helicopter, pilot, and mechanic that are certified under NASA Commercial Aviation Services (CAS) operations required by NPR 7900.3D (Aircraft Operations Management). Vendor will provide a certified mechanic to install the HDL instrument on a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved supplemental type certificate (STC) camera boom. The mechanic will mount the supporting HDL electronics in the cabin of the rotor craft and connect to power supply. Vendor will provide a certified pilot to fly the rotor craft from their facility to the operations staging area. The pilot will perform the flight tests over the lunar simulation field at a selected site. Flight tests are expected to take three days in the operations area. The helicopter will uninstall all HDL components and return to the vendor facility.

TASK REQUIREMENTS

There will be a total of four (4) flight tests that will occur roughly four weeks apart from one another.

Test flight 1 – Install HDL scanner head with support cameras and inertial measurement units (IMU) on exterior camera mount. Route fiber optic cables and power lines into the cabin of the helicopter. Install supporting electronic boxes onto the floor of the cabin and connect cables and wires. Perform test flight at selected Lunar simulation field.

Test flight 2 – Same as test flight 1 but include laser assembly portion of

HDL.

Test flight 3 – Same as test flight 2 but include entry, descent, and landing (EDL) computer.

Test flight 4 – Same as test flight 3 but include low approach entry angles similar to Apollo missions.

2. Period of Performance The period during which the work for this task shall be performed is from March 15, 2024, thru June 30, 2024.

3. Place of Performance This work shall be performed primarily at the helicopter vendor site or at the lunar lander simulation field. An airport near the lunar field will also be used for flight operations and to serve as base of operations for the flight test.