NASA REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): Partnering for Production of Spaceflight Scientific Instruments for Geospace Dynamics Constellation

This is a summary notice for a Request for Information (RFI) and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will take action in this matter. This notice is not a complete or verbatim summary of the Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) RFI entitled: “ Partnering for Production of Spaceflight Scientific Instruments for Geospace Dynamics Constellation ”; therefore, it is necessary to visit the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) https://nspires.nasaprs.com and download the full version of the RFI solicitation number NNH20ZDA013L. On or after the date of this summary SAM notice, NSPIRES will publish the RFI in full. NASA is engaged in pre-formulation activities for the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission concept and seeks information to assist the science community’s planning for this potential mission. The GDC mission has a science focus on the coupled ionosphere-thermosphere system and is envisioned as a spacecraft constellation orbiting Earth at an altitude of 350-400 km with orbital inclinations of >80 degrees. For science missions like GDC, NASA conducts an open competition for science investigations that include the delivery of flight hardware for accommodation on the spacecraft. NASA expects that the science community will be interested in proposing a combination of in situ instruments (e.g., neutral particle instrument, charged particle instrument, magnetometer) and remote sensing instruments (e.g., RF receivers, optical sensors, active sounders). Through this RFI, NASA seeks information on in order to assist the science community’s planning for a potential GDC mission, NASA seeks commercial and non-commercial organizations that may be interested in partnering with instrument providers for the fabrication, assembly, and testing of scientific instruments. Information submitted via this RFI will be made public on the Science Office for Mission Assessment website (SOMA, at NASA Langley Research Center) for optional use by the science community planning for a potential GDC mission solicitation. The SOMA website may be found at https://soma.larc.nasa.gov/index.html . This RFI is broadly open to responses from all U.S. and non-U.S. entities, with U.S. industry, universities, non-profit organizations, NASA centers, and other U.S. Government agencies particularly encouraged to submit. Questions concerning this Request for Information should be addressed to Jared Leisner, Heliophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC 20546, [email protected] . Any questions submitted concerning this RFI will be answered in a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document available on the RFI webpage in NSPIRES, or, if appropriate, via email. Please email comments and questions by September 18, 2020, to the primary point of contact with a subject line to read "RFI Partnering for Production." Anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.