Mars Telecommunications Orbiter
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- 80GSFC26MTO01
- Agency
-
Goddard Space Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 517410 Satellite Telecommunications
- Place of performance
- Greenbelt, Maryland, United States
- Points of contact
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has published a Special Notice for the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) requirement, a high-performing communications system designed to support Mars Sample Return missions and future Mars exploration activities. The notice was posted on January 21, 2026, with a submission deadline of February 5, 2026. This is a firm fixed-price contract opportunity with a U.S. commercial provider, mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21), signed into law on July 4, 2025. The MTO will provide robust, continuous communications capabilities and support autonomous operations, onboard processing, and extended mission duration. The contract will cover full-scale development, integration, launch, and on-orbit operations of the orbiter. NASA is utilizing limited competition authority under FAR Part 6 to conduct this procurement.
The opportunity is restricted to eight eligible U.S. companies that participated in NASA-funded Mars Sample Return design studies during fiscal years 2024 or 2025: Blue Origin, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, SpaceX, Quantum Space, and Whittinghill Aerospace. This eligibility restriction is a statutory requirement established by Congress in 51 U.S.C. 20306(a)(1)(iii)(I), which explicitly identified this pool of "original sources" for competition. NASA will only consider submissions from these qualified vendors and will not review capability statements from other firms. The statutory authority permitting this limited competition approach is 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), implemented through FAR 6.302-1(a)(2), which allows for other than full and open competition when only a limited number of responsible sources can satisfy agency requirements. Interested eligible contractors should submit their proposals by the February 5, 2026 deadline.
Notice text
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center has a requirement for a high-performing Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO). This requirement is for the full-scale development, integration, launch and on-orbit operations of an MTO, which can provide robust, continuous communications for a Mars Sample Return (MSR), future Mars surface, orbital and human explorations missions. It will support autonomous operations, onboard processing, and extended mission duration capabilities.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), officially Public Law 119-21, was signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. The bill mandates NASA use a competitive process, and award a firm fixed-price contract with a U.S. commercial provider.
Additionally, the OBBBA restricted the eligibility to U.S. companies that participated in NASA-funded Mars Sample Return (MSR) design studies in FY2024 or FY2025. As a result, the companies identified below are eligible to compete for the MTO requirement:
- Blue Origin
- L3Harris
- Lockheed Martin
- Northrop Grumman
- Rocket Lab
- SpaceX,
- Quantum Space
- Whittinghill Aerospace
In compliance with the OBBBA, NASA/GSFC will only conduct a competition among vendors that satisfy the statutory qualifications. The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302- 1(a)(2) “ . . .For DoD, NASA, and the Coast Guard, this authority extends to situations where only a limited number of responsible sources can satisfy agency requirements”. Furthermore, Congress explicitly identified this specific pool of “original sources” in 51 U.S.C. 20306 (a)(1)(iii)(I). By limiting competition to this pool, NASA is fulfilling the legislative mandate while utilizing the established authority under FAR Part 6. Other firms would not comply with the specific statutory requirement imposed by the OBBBA requirements.
As a result, NASA/GSFC will not consider any capability statements from other interested organizations not included in the OBBBA, nor will a capability statement be required from the statutorily identified OBBBA vendors. Oral communications will not be accepted in response to this notice.
NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found a https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf.
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