Sabatier Catalyst Development

NASA Shared Services Center at Stennis Space Center seeks development and synthesis of Sabatier catalyst formulations for life support systems, with quotes due June 25, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. The procurement is set aside for total small business and uses lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) evaluation.

Offerors must be registered at sam.gov with SAM CAGE Code or UEI included in proposals. Questions in writing via email to Cody Guidry are due June 24, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time; telephone questions are not accepted. Quotes must remain valid for 30 days and list two points of contact with name, phone number, and email address.

Work comprises six primary tasks: synthesize 500 cubic centimeters of baseline Sabatier catalyst using ruthenium chloride and alumina with ruthenium comprising approximately 20% by weight (400 cc delivered to NASA, 100 cc retained for comparative testing); conduct literature research to identify minimum three alternate poison-resistant catalyst formulations, initially recommending one nickel-based formulation; produce approximately 50 cc of selected alternates and determine light-off temperatures; identify and procure 1-2 commercially available methanation catalysts for comparative testing; develop a Catalyst Data Package containing synthesis data, chemical formulation, and quality assurance validation; and conduct 300-hour poisoning tests on baseline and selected catalysts using six simultaneous contaminants (DMSO2, DMSD, isobutane, CS2, COS, and R-218 Freon) at specified concentrations with escalation to 10X concentrations if no degradation observed, and develop a Test Data Package. Testing references ICES publication AIAA 2013-3528. NASA will provide Ruthenium (III) Chloride precursor and technical authority oversight. NAICS code is 541715; PSC is R425. Award is firm-fixed-price amount to be determined; delivery is FOB Destination. The solicitation incorporates standard FAR and NFS clauses including ITAR and EAR compliance requirements.