Modification #1, August 8, 2022 This is a modification to the synopsis entitled “The Orbital Debris Engineering Model”, 80JSC022ORDEM which was posted on August 8, 2022. You are notified that the following changes are made: Correct any previous versions of the title for this RFI from: "The Orbital Debris Engineering Model" to "Radar Orbital Debris Measurement Sources". The due date for responses is not extended. Offerors are responsible for monitoring this site if a solicitation is released and any amendments. Potential offerors are responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). All comments or questions shall be submitted electronically via email to Mark Matney, mark.matney-
[email protected], no later than August 22, 2022 at 4:00PM central standard time. When responding please reference 80JSC022ORDEM for this RFI. End of Modification 1 THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. NO PROPOSALS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE. This notice is issued by NASA/JSC to post a Request For Information (RFI) to solicit responses from Industry and Academia related to the availability of data sources and radar systems for collecting data on the populations of orbital debris that are in or pass through low Earth orbit (LEO). This document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition. Information in this RFI regarding potential future requirements is being provided as notional information to interested parties for comments or suggestions. The Government’s goal is to receive comments and capability statements early enough to thoroughly consider those ideas when developing its final procurement strategy. The Government intends to consider all timely responses to this RFI before finalizing its procurement strategy. Your responses to this RFI will not be posted, and questions submitted in response to this RFI will not be answered. The Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) is a measurements-based model of the orbital debris populations in low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). As such, it uses a number of different data sources including radar, optical, and in situ (using an instrument aboard a spacecraft to measure debris that strike the spacecraft or are in the immediate vicinity) as statistical samples of the orbital debris environment. These data sources are used in conjunction with historical launch data, cataloged objects tracked by the Space Surveillance Network (SSN), and models that describe the evolution of the orbital debris environment to statistically fit the environment model and project environment growth into the future. To make use of a data source in building populations for ORDEM, the data need to provide information over and above that available from the SSN catalog; for instance, debris too small to be tracked by the SSN. Constraints on the data and typical characteristics of interest for ORDEM data sources are described in the “Specific Comments Sought” section. SPECIFIC COMMENTS SOUGHT NASA is interested in the capability of Industry and Academia to provide available data or data collection capability for the ORDEM environment model. In providing comments or capability statements on the data sources or collection systems described in this section, please address as many of the identified aspects of a particular data source as possible – any additional information that the responder considers important may be included as well. The Government specifically requests comments and capability statements relative to the following data source types and systems for orbital debris data collection: 1. LEO Orbital Debris Measurement Data Sources and Systems a. Radar systems or data sources that provide direct or remote sensing measurements of orbital debris between 1 mm and 1 cm in LEO (below 2000 km altitude). b. Note that data on populations at any altitude for sizes below about 3 mm are of high priority. c. Past performance and relevant experience related to LEOdata sources or orbital debris measurements. d. Note that intact objects, such as satellites and rocket bodies, are already tracked and information is already available on them from the SSN. Data on objects that are not tracked, and do not have detailed characterizations available by other means are of prime interest. e. While high-quality tracking orbits (e.g., Two-Line Element Set quality) are good, such detailed information is not necessarily needed for this purpose. Instead, information on an object’s size and approximate Kepler orbit (with uncertainties on the parameters) is adequate for statistical models. If lower-quality orbit data are measured (e.g., lack of eccentricity information), an understanding of the measurement uncertainties is needed. 2. Radar-based Orbital Debris Data Sources and Collection Systems a. Existing or future sources of radar data of the orbital debris environment: the system for making these measurements can operate in a fixed beam or fan beam for statistical sampling purposes –tracking of orbital debris in order to maintain a catalog is not necessary for our purposes, as long as approximate Kepler orbits can be determined. b. Information on calibration of the radar data to ensure accuracy of the range, range-rate, radar cross section, polarization, etc., of the radar-based orbital debris measurements. c. Polarization of the transmitter and receiver – systems and data sources that provide information on the scattering from left and right-handed circularly polarized signals are of principal interest. d. Effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the transmitter. e. Average power, peak power, pulse duration, and pulse repetition frequency of the radar. f. Sensitivity of the receiver used to collect data. g. Beamwidth of the transmit and receive antenna – if available. h. Waveform types available for data collection or used for data collection if it is a data source – ability to customize waveforms is of interest. i. Type of radar transmit and receive geometry employed – monostatic or bistatic j. Practical range and altitude limits of the radar. k. Available orbital element information from the data, or methods for determining orbital elements from the measurements – examples may also include special features of the data collection system that enable estimation of orbital elements when operating the system in a fixed-beam mode, e.g., through use of a Monopulse receiver or multiple receive antenna elements in an antenna array. l. Pointing information for the data source or collection system – include any known pointing limits. m. Latitude and longitude for the data collection system. n. Frequency band of the system – it is not necessary to list the precise center frequency, and the general band designator, e.g., S-band, C-band, X-band, Ka-band, etc., may be provided instead. o. Past performance and relevant experience related to radar data sources and orbital debris measurements with radar. p. Observation time windows and total observation time – including times when the radar was operating but no detections were observed. q. The amount of data that can be expected over a reasonable time period (e.g., one year). 3. Organization Type and Size a. Please include the NAICS classification for your organization, if applicable. b. Please include information on your organization’s size for small, medium, large business classification purposes. All comments or questions shall be submitted electronically via email to Mark Matney,
[email protected], no later than August 22, 2022 at 4:00PM central standard time. When responding please reference 80JSC022ORDEM for this RFI. 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