Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) Near Real-Time (NRT)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has a requirement for continued support for (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) Near Real-Time (NRT) (SNWG-2020, Cycle 3) and TEMPO NRT Enhanced (SNWG-2022, Cycle 4) Products.

The U.S. Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) is the interagency coordination mechanism for Departments’ and Federal Agencies' civil Earth observations activities. USGEO established the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) to conduct a biennial collection of agency satellite observation needs for NASA to consider as part of its satellite systems engineering and budgeting processes. The USGEO Satellite Needs process provides the first-ever whole-of-government approach to addressing agencies' civil Earth observation satellite needs. The SNWG Management Office (MO) conducts a biennial survey of the federal civilian agencies regarding high priority needs for satellite Earth observation data to fulfill the agencies’ key objectives. After receiving these survey responses, NASA works with Earth observation providers to assess each submitted need and identify candidate solutions that meet the needs of multiple agencies. NASA then reports the assessment outcomes to the submitting agencies. Depending on the funding received, NASA is responsible for managing the development and implementation of new data products, services, and expanded data system capabilities to meet agencies needs identified by the survey. The MSFC SNWG MO, within NASA’s Earth Science Data System Program, was established to support the biennial SNWG survey cycle and manage the resulting implementation activities starting with the 2020 survey.

NASA/MSFC intends to procure continued uninterrupted support for an additional three years on a sole-source basis under the current Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) contract. The TEMPO Near Real-Time solution was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and NASA was directed to implement the solution during the SNWG-2020 (cycle 3) assessment cycle. TEMPO NRT Enhanced was approved by OMB for implementation during the SNWG-2022 (Cycle 4) assessment cycle. The SNWG MO seeks to engage SAO’s unique qualifications to develop low latency or faster retrieval products from the baseline mission TEMPO Level 0 and Level 1 data stream. Development of NRT and enhanced products is expected to provide significant benefit to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and several other Federal agencies whose high-priority objectives include:

• Characterizing the 3-dimensional distribution of key pollutants and pollutant precursors on a routine and systematic basis, particularly for communities near heavily industrialized areas that may experience disproportionate exposure to toxic pollutants
• Supplementing the sparse ground-based air quality monitoring networks in order to improve and more rapidly update emissions inventories for urban air quality forecasting
• Obtaining NRT trace gas observations to support intensive airborne field operations
• Long-term routine monitoring of trace gas concentrations to assess air quality model performance, evaluate pollutant sources and sinks, and support international assessments of climate and air quality
• Developing better pollution control strategies

These objectives are achievable if the TEMPO NRT products can be made available within a 1-3 hour timeframe from the observation.

The Cycle 3 TEMPO NRT effort will develop products for speeding up/optimizing the straylight correction, wavelength calibration, image navigation and registration, and polarization correction parts of the L0-1b processor to expedite its production. Also, to develop a fast version of the baseline TEMPO O2-O2 cloud processor, a fast version of the Nitrogen Dioxide retrieval processor, and a fast version of the formaldehyde retrieval processor. The resulting products will be made available to the community within the stated period of 1-3 hours from the observation.

The Cycle 4 TEMPO NRT Enhanced effort will develop a new hourly sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentration product from TEMPO. This activity will also adapt established science algorithms from NASA’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and other similar sensors to produce additional data products from TEMPO (SO2, ultraviolet An aerosol optical depth (UVAOD), aerosol height, H2O, ultraviolet B (UVB), glyoxal (CHOCHO), and Bromine Oxide (BrO)).

The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial product or commercial service using FAR Part 12.    

Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort electronically via email to Bryan Bregard, Bryan.C.Bregard@nasa.gov not later than 5:00pm Central Standard Time on August 20, 2025. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct this acquisition on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at : https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf