RFP GMU-KS0903-26 RIDM LANDHOLT Spacecraft Platform

George Mason University, as an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is requesting proposals for a flight-qualified spacecraft bus, payload integration and verification services, hardware-in-the-loop testbed infrastructure, and integrated routine and orbital operations supporting the NASA Landolt Mission, a one-year astrophysics mission in Geostationary Earth Orbit, with proposals due September 23, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET via Bonfire and mandatory virtual pre-proposal conference attendance required on September 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST.

All offerors must complete and submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan as Attachment A; vendors determined eligible for SWaM (Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned Business) certification must submit required certification documents within 90 days of contract execution and maintain certification throughout the contract term. All offerors must register with Virginia's eVA portal prior to award and comply with Commonwealth of Virginia purchasing regulations.

The scope encompasses a flight-qualified spacecraft bus designed to accommodate a 12-kilogram payload with total mission mass constrained to 36 kilograms, power budget of 40 watts during science operations, and pointing accuracy better than 400 arcseconds. The payload—the SI Traceable Absolute Radiometer (STAR)—comprises two redundant laser instruments projecting calibrated light at six distinct wavelengths spanning visible and near-infrared bands, plus an element wheel technology demonstrator. The contractor must integrate and verify payload systems, provide hardware-in-the-loop testbed infrastructure, and deliver integrated routine and orbital operations support. Spacecraft must survive the extreme GEO environment through engineering solutions including thick aluminum shielding, active thermoelectric coolers, and radiation-hardened microcontrollers. Critical milestones include Preliminary Design Review in March 2027, Critical Design Review in July 2027, bus delivery in March 2028, System Verification and Integration start in April 2028, and Launch Readiness Review in September 2028.

The Landolt Mission is a $19.5 million NASA PIONEERS Program astrophysics initiative funded entirely through a federal grant to George Mason University's College of Science. The contract extends from execution through September 30, 2029, with an intended one-year no-cost federal extension to September 30, 2030, and potential further extension through negotiation. The procurement is subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Uniform Guidance, mandatory federal flowdowns, NASA requirements (Award No. 80NSSC24M0086), export control laws (ITAR and EAR), and cross-waivers of liability for space operations. Inquiries close September 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET, with responses posted by 5:00 PM ET on September 16. Timely project delivery and adherence to the implementation schedule are material requirements; failure to meet agreed-upon milestones may result in corrective action, payment withholding, or termination for default.