Exploring Mars Together: Commercial Services Studies
Closed Solicitation Posted
- Solicitation number
- JL-2672-110923
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541330 Engineering Services
- Place of performance
- United States
- Points of contact
-
- JPL Small Business Programs Office smallbusiness.programsoffice@jpl.nasa.gov
- Jessica Luong jessica.luong@jpl.nasa.gov (818) 354-7845
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking commercial service studies to support its Mars Exploration Program (MEP) Draft Plan through 2040. The solicitation (RFP Number JL-2672-110923) invites U.S. industry partners to submit proposals for conceptual studies in four specific design reference mission areas: small payload delivery and hosting, large payload delivery and hosting, electro-optical imaging services, and next-generation relay services. Interested contractors can propose studies for one or two mission areas, with fixed-price awards of $200,000 or $300,000 respectively. Proposals must include detailed technical concepts, programmatic considerations, cost models, and project schedules. The submission deadline is February 27, 2024, with NASA intending to use these study results to potentially inform future service contracts that could lower overall mission costs and accelerate deep space exploration leadership.
This solicitation is not set aside for any specific business category and is open to engineering services contractors within the NAICS 541330 category. The place of performance is designated as the United States, with the study focusing on commercial services to support Mars exploration missions through 2044. While specific award values are limited to the study contract amounts of $200,000-$300,000, NASA's broader objective is to leverage emerging commercial space technologies to enable more frequent and lower-cost Mars missions. The solicitation does not specify current incumbent contractors but emphasizes a collaborative approach between government and U.S. industry. The ultimate goal is to create a framework for future service contracts that can substantially reduce exploration costs and accelerate NASA's Mars exploration capabilities through strategic public-private partnerships.
Notice text
4 versions
Update #4 · Latest ·
Update – December 2, 2024
NASA’s Mars Exploration Program recently received US industry studies to further understand the potential of Mars commercial services in payload delivery/hosting, telecommunications, and imaging.
We invite members of our commercial services community to an update and Q&A session:
Wednesday, December 4
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern Time
If you would like to attend, please email mep-industry-ext-info@jpl.nasa.gov by Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. ET.
For your reference, the following link contains a recent update/presentation that we gave to the Mars science community.
https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/programs/mars-exploration/industry-engagement/
We hope you can join us and look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas.
All the best,
Richard (Rick) Davis & Steve Matousek
NASA Mars Commercial Services Co-Leads
Update – May 1, 2024
NASA has selected 9 companies to conduct studies of commercial services at Mars for the study RFP. A summary of the awardees and further details can be found using the links below:
NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/nasa-selects-commercial-service-studies-to-enable-mars-robotic-science/
JPL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-commercial-service-studies-to-enable-mars-robotic-science
Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals, as well as everyone that contributed ideas to this effort. As the Mars Exploration Program continues to explore the potential of commercial services, we look forward to continuing to work with you.
February 2, 2024: This update adds two files: (1) RFP in total except for Mission Design Handbook (47 pages), and (2) Exhibit V Reference Mars Mission Design Handbook (449 pages). With this update, the combined and separate files are now available to aid proposers. The separate files are identical in content to the combined file posted previously.
The Mars Exploration Program (MEP) Draft Plan through the next two decades would utilize more frequent lower cost missions to achieve compelling science and exploration for a larger community. To realize the goals of the MEP plan, government and U.S. industry would partner to leverage current and emerging Earth and lunar products and commercial services to substantially lower the overall cost and accelerate leadership in deep space exploration. This RFP for industry studies is a step along that path. NASA MEP intends, though has no obligation, to use the information from these resulting studies to inform one or more future service contracts. We welcome your proposal and look forward to engagement as we forge the future together.
Update #3 ·
Update – May 1, 2024
NASA has selected 9 companies to conduct studies of commercial services at Mars for the study RFP. A summary of the awardees and further details can be found using the links below:
NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/nasa-selects-commercial-service-studies-to-enable-mars-robotic-science/
JPL: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-commercial-service-studies-to-enable-mars-robotic-science
Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals, as well as everyone that contributed ideas to this effort. As the Mars Exploration Program continues to explore the potential of commercial services, we look forward to continuing to work with you.
February 2, 2024: This update adds two files: (1) RFP in total except for Mission Design Handbook (47 pages), and (2) Exhibit V Reference Mars Mission Design Handbook (449 pages). With this update, the combined and separate files are now available to aid proposers. The separate files are identical in content to the combined file posted previously.
The Mars Exploration Program (MEP) Draft Plan through the next two decades would utilize more frequent lower cost missions to achieve compelling science and exploration for a larger community. To realize the goals of the MEP plan, government and U.S. industry would partner to leverage current and emerging Earth and lunar products and commercial services to substantially lower the overall cost and accelerate leadership in deep space exploration. This RFP for industry studies is a step along that path. NASA MEP intends, though has no obligation, to use the information from these resulting studies to inform one or more future service contracts. We welcome your proposal and look forward to engagement as we forge the future together.
Update #2 ·
February 2, 2024: This update adds two files: (1) RFP in total except for Mission Design Handbook (47 pages), and (2) Exhibit V Reference Mars Mission Design Handbook (449 pages). With this update, the combined and separate files are now available to aid proposers. The separate files are identical in content to the combined file posted previously.
The Mars Exploration Program (MEP) Draft Plan through the next two decades would utilize more frequent lower cost missions to achieve compelling science and exploration for a larger community. To realize the goals of the MEP plan, government and U.S. industry would partner to leverage current and emerging Earth and lunar products and commercial services to substantially lower the overall cost and accelerate leadership in deep space exploration. This RFP for industry studies is a step along that path. NASA MEP intends, though has no obligation, to use the information from these resulting studies to inform one or more future service contracts. We welcome your proposal and look forward to engagement as we forge the future together.
Update #1 ·
The Mars Exploration Program (MEP) Draft Plan through the next two decades would utilize more frequent lower cost missions to achieve compelling science and exploration for a larger community. To realize the goals of the MEP plan, government and U.S. industry would partner to leverage current and emerging Earth and lunar products and commercial services to substantially lower the overall cost and accelerate leadership in deep space exploration. This RFP for industry studies is a step along that path. NASA MEP intends, though has no obligation, to use the information from these resulting studies to inform one or more future service contracts. We welcome your proposal and look forward to engagement as we forge the future together.
Attachments
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 1. JL-2672-110923 RFP_noMsnDes-1.29.24-compressed.pdf | ||
| 10.1 Mars Handbook 2022-2040-compressed.pdf | ||
| 1. JL-2672-110923 Combined_1.29.24-compressed-v10-and-later.pdf | ||
| 2. JL-2672-110923 RFP Attachment A1.docx | DOCX document | |
| 3. JL-2672-110923 RFP Attachment A15.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| 4. JL-2672-110923 RFP Attachment A21.doc | DOC document |
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