Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity - Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) IV
Awarded Limited / Sole Source Justification Posted
- Solicitation number
- FY26-FSOCIV
- Agency
-
Goddard Space Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- Contract number
- 47QRCA25DU237-80GSFC26F0006 Federal contract award
- NAICS code
- 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Place of performance
- McLean, Virginia 22102, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center issued a Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity to award a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee order to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation under the OASIS+ indefinite-delivery contract for enhanced atmospheric modeling and simulation capabilities supporting Free-Space Optical Communications (FSOC) initiatives. The procurement directly supports critical NASA missions including the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, Deep Space Optical Communications, and the Orion Artemis-II Optical Communication mission. Northrop Grumman was determined to be the sole qualified vendor due to its exclusive ownership of proprietary assets including nearly 150 terabytes of atmospheric data, the Cloud Mask Generator database, the Lasercom Network Optimization Tool, and specialized computational laboratories for optical communications research that would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to replicate. The awarded contract (47QRCA25DU237) was finalized on December 29, 2025, and encompasses a 12-month base period with four additional 12-month option periods plus an optional 6-month extension, though the specific contract value was not disclosed in the justification notice. NASA's rationale emphasized Northrop Grumman's unique qualifications stemming from its extensive experience with government FSOC programs, specialized expertise in atmospheric science and high-performance computing, and the company's prior role as a subcontractor under the previous Peraton contract.
Notice text
The attached redacted Justification for an Exception to Fair Opportunity supports a procurement action conducted under the authority of FAR Subpart 16.5 – Indefinite-Delivery Contracts. The procurement action is generated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's procurement Office for Program Support.
Awarded contract 47QRCA25DU237 to unknown vendor for unknown amount on 2025-12-29.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Opportunity Exception - FSOC IV Posting Jan 12 2026.pdf |
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