Flight and Payload Integration Services

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (NASA AFRC) intends to solicit and award one or more Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract for Fight and Payload Integration Services. The duration of the contract(s) period is anticipated to be 5 years.

This requirement is to provide flight and payload integration services. Typical platforms will include (but are not limited to) high-altitude balloons, spacecraft, sounding rockets, and vertical flight testbeds, which must be capable of meeting one or more of the required flight profiles. 

Offerors shall comply with the attached soliciation and its supporting documents when responding to this soliciation.

Potential Offerors should monitor the Federal Business Opportunity website for any ammendments to the RFP . All questions must be submitted in writing to Jenny Staggs at jenny.y.staggs@nasa.gov no later than 12:00 pm Pacific Time, Feb 22, 2018. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. 

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html.

The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 481212 and 1,500 employees respectively.

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (NASA AFRC) intends to solicit and award one or more Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract for Fight and Payload Integration Services. The duration of the contract(s) period is anticipated to be 5 years.

This requirement is to provide flight and payload integration services. Typical platforms will include (but are not limited to) high-altitude balloons, spacecraft, sounding rockets, and vertical flight testbeds, which must be capable of meeting one or more of the required flight profiles. 

Offerors shall comply with the attached soliciation and its supporting documents when responding to this soliciation.

Potential Offerors should monitor the Federal Business Opportunity website for any ammendments to the RFP . All questions must be submitted in writing to Jenny Staggs at jenny.y.staggs@nasa.gov no later than 12:00 pm Pacific Time, Feb 22, 2018. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. 

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html.

The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 481212 and 1,500 employees respectively.

NOTICE OF CONTRACT ACTION
Solicitation No. 80AFRC18R0006

Flight and Payload Integration Services

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (NASA AFRC) intends to solicit and award a multiple Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract for Fight and Payload Integration Services. The duration of the contract period is anticipated to be 5 years.

This requirement is to provide flight and payload integration services. Typical platforms will include (but are not limited to) high-altitude balloons, spacecraft, sounding rockets, and vertical flight testbeds, which must be capable of meeting one or more of the required flight profiles.

Vehicles for flight services shall be currently operational, and has conclusively demonstrated the capability to meet or exceed the minimum performance requirements as defined in the flight profiles. Legacy vehicles not currently in operational status will not be considered as qualified vehicle for the purposes of meeting the flight profile requirements. Vehicles must be capable of accommodating a minimum payload mass of 4Kg and minimum payload volume equivalent to a 4U cubesat (4L or 4,000cc). The required flight profiles shall consist of the following, defined from the payload perspective:

Profile 1 (P1): Reduced gravity with space environment
Payload is typically an experiment requiring two (2) or more minutes of continuous microgravity and/or exposure to the space environment. Requirement is to ascend to a minimum of 80km above mean sea level (MSL), typically ≥ 100km MSL, and expose the payload to less than +/- 0.005g under stable gravitational conditions in all axes for at least two (2) minutes. Some payloads may also require the simultaneous exposure of the payload to near-vacuum and low temperature. This is typically accomplished by use of a SLV or spacecraft. Vehicles that can achieve the required altitude and reduced gravity but cannot expose the payload to the outside environment may also be qualified for this profile.

Profile 2 (P2): Exposure to high altitude
Payload is typically a remote sensing package or other system being qualified for use on satellites or other spacecraft. Requirement is to expose payload to the near-space environment at a minimum of 30km MSL with a flight time of 1 hour or greater, followed by a descent to 0km above ground level (AGL). This is typically accomplished by use of an untethered balloon with parachute descent. For some requirements, payloads may be released at apogee to independently descend back to earth. The descent portion of this profile may also be utilized to test experimental parachutes or similar atmospheric descent systems.

Profile 3 (P3): Space environment with free-fall descent
Payload typically involves testing of systems and components such as thermal protection or decelerators for objects reentering a planetary atmosphere. Requirement is to attain a minimum of 80km MSL, typically ≥ 100km MSL, followed by a rapid free-fall descent of the payload to 0km AGL. This is typically accomplished by use of a SLV or spacecraft with the payload ejected at apogee.

Profile 4 (P4): Controlled descent with controlled vertical landing
Payload is typically an experiment to test concepts for planetary landers. Requirement is to descend from a minimum of 250m AGL to 0m AGL, under controlled rocket-powered flight and conduct a controlled vertical landing. Some payloads may require controlled horizontal translation of up to 1 km. Some applications may require allowing the payload to actively control portions of the flight profile. This is typically accomplished by use of a spacecraft or a vertical flight testbed.

Profile 5 (P5): Controlled high altitude ascent and descent
Payload is typically a remote sensing system for planetary entry, high-altitude atmospheric measurements, or similar applications. Requirement is to ascend to a minimum of 30km MSL along a controlled trajectory, spend 1 or more minutes above 30km MSL, and then descend back to 0km AGL along a controlled trajectory. Payloads may require access to the external environment to make observations. This is typically accomplished by use of a spacecraft. Some payloads may be required to achieve short durations of reduced gravity under this flight profile.

This notice is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). Potential Offerors should monitor the Federal Business Opportunity website for the potential release of a RFP or any changes. All contractual and technical questions must be submitted in writing to Jenny Staggs at jenny.y.staggs@nasa.gov no later than January 3, 2018. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.
NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html.

The NAICS Code and Size Standard are 481212 and 1,500 employees respectively.