Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition for Super High Energy Replicated Optics (SuperHERO)
Awarded Limited / Sole Source Justification Posted
- Solicitation number
- 80MSFC26C0010
- Agency
-
Marshall Space Flight Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- Contract number
- 80MSFC26C0010 Federal contract award
- Awardee
- The Washington University
- NAICS code
- Not on record
- Place of performance
- Saint Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has awarded a sole-source contract 80MSFC26C0010 to Washington University in St. Louis for design, fabrication, testing, and mission support of a 12-meter composite carbon fiber truss/optical bench for the Super-High Energy Replicated Optics (SuperHERO) balloon-borne hard-X-ray telescope mission, with an estimated value of $1,004,621.
NASA's justification cites 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)1, only one responsible source available. WashU possesses unique expertise developed through design and fabrication of the XL-Calibur balloon telescope, a flight-proven structure with comparable mass and focal length requirements. Alternative contractors would introduce 12–24 month schedule delays, jeopardizing the Fall 2029 launch from Fort Sumner, New Mexico. A notice of intent to award was published on SAM.gov on March 26, 2025, with responses due April 10, 2025; no capability statements were received from other interested parties.
The SuperHERO mission was competitively selected through the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science-2023 (ROSES-2023) NASA Research Announcement under the Astrophysics Research and Analysis Program. Contract activities include designing the truss structure to accommodate higher mirror mass than predecessor missions, conducting carbon fiber-aluminum joint pull tests, performing load-deformation testing, transporting equipment to Wallops Flight Facility for hang testing, and providing scientific mission support and data analysis. Contract period extends from award through December 31, 2030. Place of performance includes mission-related testing at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, and launch operations at Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
Notice text
This contract is for the design, manufacturing, and testing of a truss/optical bench to be used on the Super-High Energy Replicated Optics (SuperHERO) balloon mission.
Awarded contract 80MSFC26C0010 to unknown vendor for unknown amount on 2026-05-08.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| SuperHERO-JOFOC_80MSFC26C0010.pdf |
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