Suborbital Launch Vehicle Flight and Payload Integration Services Support

Sources Sought Notice Market Research NASA/ Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources who are capable of performing AFRC’s Suborbital Launch Vehicle Flight and Payload Integration Services Support as defined in the description of performance below. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / (AFRC) is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI), and members of the underserved communities as defined by Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity And Support For Underserved Communities Through The Federal Government, for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for Flight opportunities Program Flight and Payload Integration Services IV. 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. Information received in response to this sources sought notice will be used for market research only and shall not be viewed as NASA’s intent to solicit proposals. If NASA decides a requirement exists and there is a need to solicit for this requirement, NASA will solicit the requirement using a method of solicitation defined within the FAR and NASA FAR Supplement, using NAICS Code and Size Standard 481219 and $16.5M revenue, respectively. DESCRIPTION OF PERFORMANCE: Potential sources must be primarily a United States domestic entity. Potential sources must demonstrate their capability of providing Flight and Payload Integration Services and in some instances, human accommodations. Typical platforms will include (but are not limited to) high-altitude balloons, suborbital rockets, sounding rockets, rocket powered landing vehicles and vertical flight testbeds, which must be capable of meeting one or more of the required flight profiles. Vehicles for flight services shall be currently operational, in a flight test status as a minimum, and conclusively demonstrated to meet or exceed the minimum performance requirements as defined in the flight profiles. Legacy vehicles not currently in operational status will not be considered as qualifying for the purposes of meeting the flight profile requirements. Vehicles must be capable of accommodating a minimum payload mass of 5Kg and minimum payload volume equivalent to a 5U cubesat (5L or 5,000cc). The required flight profiles shall consist of the following, defined from the payload perspective: Profile 1 (P1): Reduced gravity with space environment Payload is typically an experiment requiring two (2) or more minutes of continuous microgravity and/or exposure to the space environment. Requirement is to ascend to a minimum of 80km above mean sea level (MSL), desired ≥ 100km MSL, and expose the payload to a total gravitational vector of less than +/- 0.005g (RMS) under stable gravitational conditions in all axes for at least two (2) minutes. Some payloads may also require the simultaneous exposure of the payload to near-vacuum and low temperature. This is typically accomplished by use of a sounding rocket or spacecraft. Vehicles that can achieve the required altitude and reduced gravity but cannot expose the payload to the outside environment may also be qualified for this profile. Profile 2 (P2): Exposure to high altitude and long-duration flight Under this profile, platforms shall offer the payload with external views, including a view of the earth below as well as access to the environment for sensing. Payload types will vary, including remote sensing packages or other systems being qualified for use on satellites or other spacecraft. These can be tested by use of an untethered balloon with parachute descent that could allow, for example, for testing experimental parachutes or similar atmospheric descent systems. Other platforms could include untethered balloons or untethered airships with guided trajectory capabilities and controlled landings. The aforementioned platforms may have additional capabilities such as altitude loitering or geolocation station keeping. In all cases, landing characteristics should be sufficient to recover the payload by means of a soft landing or a parachute recovery, for example. For consideration under this profile, a QV shall meet the requirements listed below: Exposure to high altitude: Payload is typically an experiment requiring exposure to the near-space environment at a minimum of 30km MSL with a flight time of 1 hour or greater along a pre-planned guided flight trajectory, followed by a descent to 0 AGL. Exposure to altitude and long-duration flight: Payload is typically an experiment requiring exposure to an altitude of at least 18 km MSL and have a float time of 7 days or greater along a pre-planned flight trajectory, followed by a descent to 0 AGL. Profile 3 (P3): Space environment with free-fall descent Payload typically involves testing of systems and components such as thermal protection or decelerators for objects reentering a planetary atmosphere. Requirement is to attain a minimum of 80km MSL, typically ≥ 100km MSL, followed by a rapid free-fall descent of the payload to 0 km AGL. This is typically accomplished by use of a sounding rocket or spacecraft with the payload ejected at apogee. Profile 4 (P4): Controlled descent with controlled vertical landing Payload is typically an experiment to test concepts for planetary landers. Requirement is to descend from a minimum of 250m above ground level (AGL) to 0m AGL, under controlled rocket-powered flight and conduct a controlled vertical landing. Some payloads may require controlled horizontal translation of up to 1 km. Some applications may require allowing the payload to actively control portions of the flight profile. This is typically accomplished by use of a spacecraft or a vertical flight testbed. Profile 5 (P5): Controlled high altitude ascent and descent Requirement is to ascend to a minimum of 30km MSL along a pre-planned trajectory, spend 1 or more minutes above 30km MSL, and then descend back to 0 AGL along a controlled trajectory. Payload is typically a remote sensing system for planetary entry, high-altitude atmospheric measurements, or similar applications. Payloads may require access to the external environment to make observations or obtain measurements. It would be desirable to have the capability of accepting control inputs from the payload. It would also be desirable to provide the payload a view of the earth below. Landing should be sufficient to recover the payload intact, which may entail either a soft landing or a parachute recovery. In some cases, platforms may have different ascent and descent locations as part of a single flight. This is typically accomplished by use of a spacecraft or first (primary) stage of a multi-stage rocket-powered vehicle. Some payloads may be required to achieve short durations of reduced gravity under this flight profile. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. Potential Sources are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Potential Sources having the required capabilities necessary to meet the above requirement described herein should submit a capability statement (including any attachments) must not exceed ten (10) pages in length and the font size shall not be less than 12 points. All documentations shall be submitted electronically, via the NASA’s Enterprise File Sharing and Sync Box no later than: 2:00 p.m. PT, July 15, 2022 using the following instructions: Electronic Submission of Proposals – Proposal Marking and Delivery Through NASA’s EFSS Box. (a) The Potential Sources shall submit its capabilities via NASA’s Enterprise File Sharing and Sync Box (EFSS Box), a FedRAMP Moderate certified platform. Electronic submissions shall not contain hidden formulas, tables, be locked, be password protected, or contain links to data not included in the electronic copy. All electronic submissions should be searchable and should not contain scanned documents. The potential sources shall ensure documents are free from viruses and malware, as documents determined by NASA to contain a virus or malware will not be opened or evaluated. Subcontractors may submit their required capabilities information separately using the instructions. The potential sources shall ensure subcontractor submissions are made no later than the date and time specified for capability submission and comply with all sources sought instructions. (b) Prior to the submission of capability files, potential sourcess interested in submitting their capabilities in response to this sources sought should notify Tiffany Goodwin of their intent to submit their capabilities at least 48 hours prior to the intended submission date, at the following email address: [email protected] . The potential sources shall courtesy copy (cc) Andrea Basham at [email protected] on this communication . Interested Parties, especially those that have not previously submitted documents utilizing NASA’s EFSS Box, are encouraged to coordinate the submission of a test file with Tiffany Goodwin several days in advance of the date and time specified for capability submission in order to allow time to work through any submission issues. (c) The Potential Sources shall submit all capability files to: https://nasagov.app.box.com/f/dfa8af65f2664f0e9ec80a287ef17470 The Potential Sources shall follow instructions regarding capability submission found at: Attachment 1 (d) Potential Sources are encouraged to include all individual capability files within a single .zip file. Electronic file names shall be limited to letters, numbers, dashes, and single spaces, with the exception of the period that is required before the file extension (e.g., .zip, .pdf), in order to successfully upload and download files from the EFSS Box system. The interested parties shall not use special characters “/” or “\” in file names. The Potential Sources shall and clearly label the contents of the file and include the name of the firm and subcontractor name (if applicable) in the individual file name. Examples of acceptable individual file names are as follows: For Prime Potential Sources Submissions: Potential Source name-Sources Sought number-Profile number For Subcontractor Submissions: Potential Source name-Subcontractor Name-Sources Sought number-Profile number Individual files cannot exceed 150GB per file. Submitted files shall not include password protection. Unless specifically authorized by the sources sought instructions, alternate capabilities submissions shall not be submitted. (e) Immediately after all files have been uploaded and the capabilities have been submitted in its entirety, the interested firm shall notify Tiffany Goodwin at the following email address: [email protected] with a listing of all documents by filename that were submitted via EFSS Box. The interested firm shall courtesy copy (cc) Andrea Basham at [email protected] on this communication. If any problems are experienced with the EFSS Box system (e.g., login, file transfer), please contact Tiffany Goodwin and a cc copy to Andrea Basham via e-mail as soon as possible. (f) The Potential Sources is responsible for ensuring its capabilities file(s) reaches the Government office designated in the sources sought by the date and time specified in the sources sought. The Government is not responsible for any failure attributable to the transmission or receipt of documents submitted using electronic means, including the missing of any submission requirements and established deadlines. Please note that uploading documents via EFSS Box and the transmission of the files from the potential sources to the Government may not be instantaneous. To ensure timely delivery, the potential sources is encouraged to submit its capabilities at least 24 hours prior to the due date specified in the sources sought. The electronic submission of the capabilitiy files shall contain all information required by the sources sought to be determined responsive. Please reference the source sought notice number " 80AFRC22SS007 " in all responses to this notice. The Government will not be accepting or responding to any questions at this time. If additional information is needed, the Government will reach out to the industry for that information. Potential Sources shall include the following information with their submitted Capability Statement: Your company's point of contact, including name, e-mail address, mailing address and telephone number; company's size standard/type classification associated with the applicable NAICS code; Unique Entity ID and cage code. Respondents must submit detailed documentation of their company’s ability to meet or exceed the effort described herein; type of vehicle(s); profile(s) to be provided, including payload accommodations; licenses, permits, or waivers possessed; listed of successful operations to date, including maximum performance data to support their qualification to achieve the stated profile(s); and other relevant data to support the stated capabilities. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. Additionally, in support of the Executive Order (EO) 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, NASA is seeking to advance equity or remove barriers for members of underserved communities related to this requirement. As defined in the EO, Underserved Communities refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the preceding definition of "equity." Equity means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. NASA seeks input in the following areas: 1. To support the requirements identified in this request for information (RFI)/sources sought notification, what barriers or opportunities exist to engage subject matter experts from industry and academia and how can those barriers be overcome? How can underserved communities be leveraged? 2. To support the requirements identified in this RFI, what barriers or opportunities exist to partner with subcontractors that employ members of underserved communities, as defined above? 3. What other recommendations would you make to enhance diversity and inclusion? 4. What should be considered to encourage full participation and contribution of organizations and individuals (e.g., outreach efforts and innovative partnerships) in performance of this requirement? DISCLAIMER: This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only. NASA is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for information submitted in response to this synopsis. It is the responsibility of the potential potential sourcess to monitor the site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the market research. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable.