RIDM LANDOLT Spacecraft Platform

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

The procurement is funded through a federal NASA grant (Award No. 80NSSC24M0086) valued at $19.5 million under the PIONEERS Program, requiring all offerors to comply with 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and mandatory federal contract provisions. Attendance at the mandatory virtual pre-proposal conference on September 10 is a condition of proposal responsiveness; Addendum 1 lists four confirmed attendees: Blue Canyon Technologies LLC, Argotec Inc, EnduroSat Trading EOOD, and York Space Systems. Written inquiries must be submitted through George Mason's Bonfire Portal by September 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET, with responses posted by September 16 at 5:00 PM ET. All proposals must be submitted electronically through Bonfire only.

The spacecraft must accommodate a 12-kilogram payload and 36-kilogram total mass limit, operate on a 40-watt power budget, and maintain pointing accuracy better than 400 arcseconds. The primary payload is the SI Traceable Absolute Radiometer (STAR) with redundant laser instruments spanning visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Key milestones include Preliminary Design Review in March 2027, Critical Design Review in July 2027, bus delivery in March 2028, and Launch Readiness Review in September 2028, with launch scheduled October 2029.

The contract period extends from the effective date through September 30, 2029, with an allowed one-year no-cost extension to September 30, 2030, and further extensions negotiable. Offerors must complete a Small Business Subcontracting Plan, register in eVA prior to award, and identify all subcontractors (including launch providers) in Attachment A. George Mason's standard contract incorporates non-negotiable restrictions on sovereign immunity waivers, indemnification, binding arbitration, and choice of law outside Virginia. Contractor insurance requirements include commercial general liability and commercial automobile liability of at least one million dollars per occurrence, workers compensation as required by statute, and umbrella/excess coverage of at least five million dollars. All contractor personnel accessing George Mason facilities must pass comprehensive background checks at contractor expense. Timely project delivery and milestone adherence are material requirements; failure to meet agreed-upon dates may result in corrective action, payment withholding, termination for default, or other contractual remedies.