FY25_USAFA-1m Telescope Gratings
Closed Pre-Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- FY25_USAFA-1m_Telescope_Gratings
- Agency
-
Air Force Academy
Headquarters Air Force, Department of Defense
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 333310 Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing
- Place of performance
- Usaf Academy, Colorado 80840, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The United States Air Force Academy is conducting a sources sought for transmission gratings to enhance capabilities of their existing 1-meter telescope used for cadet education and research in space situational awareness, astronomy, and STEM outreach. The requirement specifies three distinct transmission gratings with varying groove densities (100, 200, and 300 grooves per millimeter), each measuring 110mm x 110mm x 3mm and made from transmission grade BK-7 material with specific blaze wavelengths and angles. The gratings will provide simultaneous color information at higher wavelength resolution when integrated with the telescope's existing 16-sector CCD camera and dual filter wheel system. Interested contractors must be registered in SAM.gov and provide company information, contact details, socio-economic status, and relevant capabilities in their response. All responses are due by August 7, 2025, no later than 10:00 AM MST, and must be submitted electronically to the designated Air Force contact.
The opportunity falls under NAICS code 333310 with a size standard of 1000 employees, and the Air Force Academy anticipates this requirement will be considered under a small business set-aside program, though no specific set-aside designation is currently applied to this sources sought notice. No incumbent contractors or current service providers are mentioned in the solicitation. The notice does not specify award values, budget ranges, or contract timeline, as this is an information-gathering exercise rather than a formal solicitation. The technical specifications are highly precise, requiring three different grating configurations with blaze angles ranging from 4.6 to 17.45 degrees and blaze wavelengths from 465nm to 580nm. Future procurement information, including any formal quotation requests or amendments, will be posted through sam.gov for interested parties to monitor.
Notice text
SOURCES SOUGHT: THIS IS NOT A NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUOTATION BUT INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing the information provided to the Government.
The Sources Sought number is FY25_USAFA-1m Telescope Gratings and shall be used to reference any written responses to this sources sought.
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) anticipates a requirement that is being considered under a small business set-aside program. The North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code proposed is 333310. The size standard for NAICS is 1000 employees.
This requirement is for USAFA to obtain Transmission Gratings for an existing 1-meter telescope (USAFA-1m). The USAFA-1m telescope is used by cadets and faculty for education and research in space situational awareness (SSA), astronomy, and STEM outreach. The imaging camera on the USAFA-1m telescope is a state-of-the-art 16-sector CCD camera with a custom-made dual filter wheel box that allows cadets to combine two filters for different optical measurements. The filter wheels hold broadband photometric filters that can provide near-simultaneous color measurements of artificial satellites and celestial objects. The transmission gratings will provide new capabilities for the USAFA-1m telescope, namely simultaneous color information at a higher wavelength resolution.
SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS/REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS:
At a minimum, the equipment must:
- Transmission grating: 100-grooves-per-millimeter
- Dimensions: 110 mm x 110 mm x 3 mm
- Blaze Wavelength: 465 nm
- Blaze Angle: 4.6 degrees
- Grating Surface: Ruled
- Material: transmission grade BK-7
- Transmission grating: 200-grooves-per-millimeter
- Dimensions: 110 mm x 110 mm x 3 mm
- Blaze Wavelength: 505 nm
- Blaze Angle: 10 degrees
- Grating Surface: Ruled
- Material: transmission grade BK-7
- Transmission grating: 300-grooves-per-millimeter
- Dimensions: 110 mm x 110 mm x 3 mm
- Blaze Wavelength: 580 nm
- Blaze Angle: 17.45 degrees
- Grating Surface: Ruled
- Material: transmission grade BK-7
In response to this sources sought provide the following capabilities package:
- Company Name
- POC/Name and contact information
- SAM.gov: UEID/CAGE Code and expiration date
- Socio-economic status
- Any related specifications/capabilities in providing the requirement
Please note: All contractors doing business with the Federal Government must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. The website for registration is www.sam.gov.
Responses may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: melinda.lingley@us.af.mil. Telephone responses will not be accepted.
If more information is needed for this requirement’s salient characteristics, questions are welcome and are to be provided to the above email prior to the closing date.
RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 7 Aug 2025 NLT 10:00am MST.
Future information about this acquisition, including the issuance of a quotation and/or applicable amendments, will be issued through sam.gov. Interested parties are responsible for ensuring they have the most up-to-date information regarding this acquisition.
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