Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) detection and analysis services

1/14/2026:

Posted Q&A attachment

Section 1: Introduction

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) detection and analysis services. The UAS detection and analysis data generated in performance of this requirement will be utilized to make rapid and critical decisions to protect NASA personnel, the public, launch vehicles, flight hardware, critical high value assets, and security interests, and is required to be fully mission capable at the start of performance.  Performance for the UAS Detection and Analysis Services Contract is anticipated to commence no earlier than April 1, 2026.

Performance under this contract will involve access to and/or generation of classified information, work in a security area, or both, up to the level of Secret.

NASA KSC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or Small Business and HBCU/MSI subcontracting goals for this requirement. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Women-owned (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses received.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 561621, Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths), and the corresponding small business size standard is $25M, calculated in accordance with 13 CFR 121.104.

Section 2: Background and Requirements:

KSC is comprised of over 144,000 acres of land.  All UAS flights over KSC property, whether inside or outside the security perimeter, are restricted and only occur with the approval of KSC Flight Operations.  Additionally, KSC is coincident with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), over which unauthorized UAS flights are also prohibited. 

Attached is a draft performance work statement (PWS); however, the complete requirements under the PWS are to be defined.  Performance requirements contemplated include, but are not limited to the following, which are based on the best information available at the time of publication and is subject to revision:

1. Provide UAS detection and analysis services that can accurately detect and identify unknown UAS out to a distance of at least 40NMI (with a goal of 100NMI),
2. Provide a rapid and timely information to multiple users for response and mitigations at all times and be fully compatible with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), US Air Force, and US Space Force counter UAS systems, procedures, and protocols.
3. The UAS detection system shall be capable of providing technical and threat analyses for KSC and will provide real-time detection and alerting capabilities to NASA KSC personnel.
4. The UAS detection system must also integrate Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Air Force, and US Space Force analysis techniques and tools into hardware, response tactics, procedures, and law enforcement options. 
5. All detection, tracking, and informational systems shall be capable of providing and supplying:
   • Identification and operational information (to include but not limited to: type, serial number, location, speed, direction of travel, operator location),
   • Alert(s) to indicate when a drone has been detected and is unknown, and
   • Notification(s) of drone(s) that have been detected, are known, and whitelisted by the system.  The notification(s) must be generated independent of any existing KSC based communications infrastructure and systems and produce performance data,
   • Shall be capable of providing independent data paths to users at KSC.
6. The UAS detection system shall provide a “user accessible dashboard” complete with:
   • Threat tracking,
   • Automated alerts,
   • Detected drone positional and movement data,
   • Must be map based and easily readable. 
7.  The UAS detection system must be able to provide continuous coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, and the contractor shall provide rapid (within 24 hours) on-site support as needed to ensure the system is fully operational at all times. 
8. System shall provide at least 2 primary detectors at separate two separate remote locations on KSC, along with 2 secondary sensors co-located with primary sensors

Section 3: Industry Engagement

The UAS detection and analysis acquisition team intends to hold various industry engagement opportunities throughout the acquisition process. At this time, the UAS detection and analysis acquisition team contemplates one-on-one meetings with industry following receipt of capability statements. The purpose of the one-on-one meetings is to provide respondents an opportunity to elaborate on any capabilities expressed in their respective capability statements of the sources sought notice, to enhance the Government’s understanding of industry capabilities and feedback.

Meetings will take place from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, the week of March 2, 2026, via conference call or Microsoft Teams. Meetings will not exceed 45 minutes in length.  Respondents interested in meeting with the UAS detection and analysis acquisition team are requested to provide in its capability statement the names, company affiliation, and titles of those who will attend (to include your respective contract manager(s) or contract administrator(s)). Note: All other interested parties may contact the contracting officer listed on Section 4 to schedule time to meet with the team to provide comments or feedback regarding strategy feedback or capabilities. Industry is further encouraged to revisit this notice for announcement of any additional engagement opportunities in the future.

Section 4: Submission Information

Interested firms having the required capabilities to meet the above requirements should submit a capability statement of no more than no more than 20 pages indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort.

A page is defined as one side of a sheet, 8 1/2" x 11", with at least one-inch margins on all sides, using not smaller than 12-point type. Foldouts count as an equivalent number of 8 1/2" x 11" pages. Responses must be submitted electronically in portable document format (PDF), with searchable text. The capability statement must include:

• Company’s name, address, and a point of contact (name, title, and e-mail address)
• Unique entity identifier and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code
• Number of years in business and annual receipts corresponding to the period of measurement used (see 13 CFR 121.104(c))
• Company’s size under NAICS 561621, Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths)
• Company’s socioeconomic status
• GSA Contract Number with expiration date, MAS, and SIN (if applicable) for the UAS Detection and Analysis Services
• Ownership, affiliate information (as applicable) including parent company and joint venture partners.
• Interest as a prime or subcontractor
• Company’s specific capabilities that are relevant to the requirements contemplated above. It is not sufficient to provide brochures or generic information. Capability statements must include the company’s specific area(s) of interest, as well as reference to any contracts performed during the last five years that are applicable to those areas. For each contract, identify the contract number, agency or customer, period of performance, the company’s role (i.e., prime or subcontractor), and contract or subcontract value.
• Please advise if the requirement is considered a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial product and commercial service is defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions.

All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Jusitn Ko at justin.j.ko@nasa.gov no later than February 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Please reference NASA/Kennedy UAS Detection and Analysisin any response. 

Section 5: Other

Please submit any questions regarding the sources sought via email to Jusitn Ko at justin.j.ko@nasa.gov by 12:00 PM Eastern Time on January 21, 2026.

No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. Interested firms are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

This sources sought notice is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.

The Government has enabled the interested vendor list feature for this notice, interested firms are encouraged to register. Provision of this list is neither an endorsement nor representative of a preference, by NASA, for any of the listed companies.

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

Section 1: Introduction

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) detection and analysis services. The UAS detection and analysis data generated in performance of this requirement will be utilized to make rapid and critical decisions to protect NASA personnel, the public, launch vehicles, flight hardware, critical high value assets, and security interests, and is required to be fully mission capable at the start of performance.  Performance for the UAS Detection and Analysis Services Contract is anticipated to commence no earlier than April 1, 2026.

Performance under this contract will involve access to and/or generation of classified information, work in a security area, or both, up to the level of Secret.

NASA KSC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or Small Business and HBCU/MSI subcontracting goals for this requirement. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Women-owned (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses received.

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 561621, Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths), and the corresponding small business size standard is $25M, calculated in accordance with 13 CFR 121.104.

Section 2: Background and Requirements:

KSC is comprised of over 144,000 acres of land.  All UAS flights over KSC property, whether inside or outside the security perimeter, are restricted and only occur with the approval of KSC Flight Operations.  Additionally, KSC is coincident with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), over which unauthorized UAS flights are also prohibited. 

Attached is a draft performance work statement (PWS); however, the complete requirements under the PWS are to be defined.  Performance requirements contemplated include, but are not limited to the following, which are based on the best information available at the time of publication and is subject to revision:

1. Provide UAS detection and analysis services that can accurately detect and identify unknown UAS out to a distance of at least 40NMI (with a goal of 100NMI),
2. Provide a rapid and timely information to multiple users for response and mitigations at all times and be fully compatible with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), US Air Force, and US Space Force counter UAS systems, procedures, and protocols.
3. The UAS detection system shall be capable of providing technical and threat analyses for KSC and will provide real-time detection and alerting capabilities to NASA KSC personnel.
4. The UAS detection system must also integrate Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Air Force, and US Space Force analysis techniques and tools into hardware, response tactics, procedures, and law enforcement options. 
5. All detection, tracking, and informational systems shall be capable of providing and supplying:
   • Identification and operational information (to include but not limited to: type, serial number, location, speed, direction of travel, operator location),
   • Alert(s) to indicate when a drone has been detected and is unknown, and
   • Notification(s) of drone(s) that have been detected, are known, and whitelisted by the system.  The notification(s) must be generated independent of any existing KSC based communications infrastructure and systems and produce performance data,
   • Shall be capable of providing independent data paths to users at KSC.
6. The UAS detection system shall provide a “user accessible dashboard” complete with:
   • Threat tracking,
   • Automated alerts,
   • Detected drone positional and movement data,
   • Must be map based and easily readable. 
7.  The UAS detection system must be able to provide continuous coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, and the contractor shall provide rapid (within 24 hours) on-site support as needed to ensure the system is fully operational at all times. 
8. System shall provide at least 2 primary detectors at separate two separate remote locations on KSC, along with 2 secondary sensors co-located with primary sensors

Section 3: Industry Engagement

The UAS detection and analysis acquisition team intends to hold various industry engagement opportunities throughout the acquisition process. At this time, the UAS detection and analysis acquisition team contemplates one-on-one meetings with industry following receipt of capability statements. The purpose of the one-on-one meetings is to provide respondents an opportunity to elaborate on any capabilities expressed in their respective capability statements of the sources sought notice, to enhance the Government’s understanding of industry capabilities and feedback.

Meetings will take place from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, the week of March 2, 2026, via conference call or Microsoft Teams. Meetings will not exceed 45 minutes in length.  Respondents interested in meeting with the UAS detection and analysis acquisition team are requested to provide in its capability statement the names, company affiliation, and titles of those who will attend (to include your respective contract manager(s) or contract administrator(s)). Note: All other interested parties may contact the contracting officer listed on Section 4 to schedule time to meet with the team to provide comments or feedback regarding strategy feedback or capabilities. Industry is further encouraged to revisit this notice for announcement of any additional engagement opportunities in the future.

Section 4: Submission Information

Interested firms having the required capabilities to meet the above requirements should submit a capability statement of no more than no more than 20 pages indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort.

A page is defined as one side of a sheet, 8 1/2" x 11", with at least one-inch margins on all sides, using not smaller than 12-point type. Foldouts count as an equivalent number of 8 1/2" x 11" pages. Responses must be submitted electronically in portable document format (PDF), with searchable text. The capability statement must include:

• Company’s name, address, and a point of contact (name, title, and e-mail address)
• Unique entity identifier and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code
• Number of years in business and annual receipts corresponding to the period of measurement used (see 13 CFR 121.104(c))
• Company’s size under NAICS 561621, Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths)
• Company’s socioeconomic status
• GSA Contract Number with expiration date, MAS, and SIN (if applicable) for the UAS Detection and Analysis Services
• Ownership, affiliate information (as applicable) including parent company and joint venture partners.
• Interest as a prime or subcontractor
• Company’s specific capabilities that are relevant to the requirements contemplated above. It is not sufficient to provide brochures or generic information. Capability statements must include the company’s specific area(s) of interest, as well as reference to any contracts performed during the last five years that are applicable to those areas. For each contract, identify the contract number, agency or customer, period of performance, the company’s role (i.e., prime or subcontractor), and contract or subcontract value.
• Please advise if the requirement is considered a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial product and commercial service is defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions.

All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Jusitn Ko at justin.j.ko@nasa.gov no later than February 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Please reference NASA/Kennedy UAS Detection and Analysisin any response. 

Section 5: Other

Please submit any questions regarding the sources sought via email to Jusitn Ko at justin.j.ko@nasa.gov by 12:00 PM Eastern Time on January 21, 2026.

No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. Interested firms are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

This sources sought notice is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.

The Government has enabled the interested vendor list feature for this notice, interested firms are encouraged to register. Provision of this list is neither an endorsement nor representative of a preference, by NASA, for any of the listed companies.

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