Space Weather Observations Antenna Network Commercial Services

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through its National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS), is seeking Ground Station as a Service (GSaaS) to support space weather observation missions at the Earth-Sun Lagrange point 1 (L1). The procurement will focus on providing low-latency, global telemetry, and tracking services for two missions: the SWFO-L1 single satellite mission (launching September 2025) and the SOL dual-satellite mission (launching in 2029 and 2032). Key contract requirements include operational availability of 0.995 over 30 days, NIST Moderate Impact security compliance, encrypted ground interfaces, and data storage capabilities. Evaluation will likely involve assessing vendors' technical capabilities, global coverage, security protocols, and cost-effectiveness. Critical dates include a February 3, 2025 deadline for questions and a February 13, 2025 deadline for RFI responses, with the anticipated period of performance spanning 2026-2031.

The procurement is not designated with any specific set-aside status and will be open to commercial vendors. Potential government support contractors expected to assist in evaluation include The Aerospace Corporation, MITRE, STC, Noblis, INNOVIM, ASRC Federal, SSAI, and Columbus Technologies. While specific award values are not disclosed, the RFI indicates interest in X-band telemetry (140-400 kbps data rates) and S-band tracking services across geographically diverse sites including locations in Greece, New Zealand, and Australia. The satellites will operate in Lissajous orbits with Sun-Earth-Vehicle angles between 4-13 degrees and a maximum path distance of 1,605,000 km. Each mission has a nominal design life of 5-5.5 years, with potential extension to 10-10.5 years, suggesting a long-term, multi-year service requirement for the selected vendor(s).