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This is Modification 3 to the special notice entitled "International Space Station Deorbit Capability", 80JSC022ISSDeorbit, which was posted on August 19, 2022. You are notified that the following additional information is being shared and responses requested.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/ Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is hereby soliciting additional information concerning draft documents posted in the Technical Library for the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) contract.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP). NO PROPOSALS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.

This Request for Information (RFI) includes additions to the Technical Library of the following documents:

• Draft Space Station Program (SSP) 51101 USDV Systems Requirements Document (SRD) which provides the functional, performance and operational requirements for the development of a United States Deorbit system, as well as the design and operational constraints, including required interfaces and design, construction, and testing standards, to deliver a robust and reliable ISS deorbit service.


• Draft International Space Station (ISS) Deorbit Concept of Operations which provides an overview of the concept of operations for ISS deorbit and guidance to industry partners interested in developing a USDV capability for ISS.

The Draft Statement of Work (SOW) and Data Requirements Descriptions (DRD) are anticipated to be posted the week of November 28th.

Industry Day is tentatively planned for December 7th with one-on-ones on December 8th and 9th. Please continue to monitor www.sam.gov for additional details concerning Industry Day event arrangements.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information to assist in NASA's preparation of a potential future RFP.

1. Draft Statement of Work
   
   
   
   
   • Given your understanding of the Draft ISS Deorbit Concept of Operations, what deficiencies did you identify in the SOW? Please be specific and provide recommendations to resolve.
   
   
   
   


2. Draft Data Requirements Descriptions
   
   
   
   • Given your understanding of the Draft ISS Deorbit Concept of Operations, what deficiencies did you identify in the DRDs? Please be specific and provide recommendations to resolve.
   
   
   
   


3. Draft SSP 51101 United States Deorbit Vehicle Systems Requirements Document
   
   
   
   • Identify and provide recommended mitigations to any requirements that are:
     
     
     
     1. Overly restrictive/prescriptive.
     
     
     2. “Design drivers” that would limit viable capabilities.
     
     
     3. Unnecessarily driving cost.
     
     
     4. Driving the use of low Technology Readiness Level (TRL)/unproven technologies.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Given your understanding of the Draft ISS Deorbit Concept of Operations, what deficiencies did you identify in the SSP 51101, USDV SRD? Please be specific and provide recommendations to resolve.
   
   
   
   


4. International Space Station (ISS) Configuration
   
   
   
   • Given the requirement for the USDV to dock to the ISS Node 2 Forward port and for all the required USDV capabilities to be performed from that port only (i.e. capabilities can’t be split between multiple vehicles/ports), would this prevent your company from proposing to this procurement? Please respond with:
     
     
     
     • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • Please elaborate on any issues that would prevent your company from proposing and provide recommendations.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Given the requirement for a maximum thrust of 10,669 N (1088 kgf) for the reentry burn, would this prevent your company from proposing to this procurement? Please respond with:
     
     
     
     • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • Please elaborate on any issues that would prevent your company from proposing and provide recommendations.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Given the requirement for the USDV to be on-orbit and docked to ISS for one (1) year prior to the final ISS deorbit (see Draft ISS Deorbit Concept of Operations for further understanding), would this prevent your company from proposing to this procurement? Please respond with:
     
     
     
     • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • Please elaborate on any issues that would prevent your company from proposing and provide recommendations.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   


5. Launch Vehicle Certification and Procurement
   
   
   
   • Based on the Government’s requirement for the contractor to provide a Launch Vehicle Certification of Category 3 (defined in NPD 8610.7D Launch Services Risk Mitigation Policy for NASA-Owned and/or NASA-Sponsored Payloads/Missions - Revalidated w/Change 2, 03/29/2018), NASA is considering whether to procure the launch vehicle and the USDV in the same contract or in separate contracts. Would the Government providing the launch vehicle under the Launch Services Program (LSP) prevent you from proposing on this solicitation? Please respond with:
     
     
     
     • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • Please elaborate on any issues that would prevent your company from proposing and provide recommendations.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • If the launch vehicle was included with the USDV contract, what is industry’s input into the most effective method of handling the launch service procurement?
   
   
   • If the launch vehicle was included with the USDV contract, what concerns or risks are there with being able to achieve a Category 3 Launch Vehicle Certification?
   
   
   
   


6. Contract Type
   
   
   
   • Given the various contract types under consideration, would any of these contract types prevent your company from proposing? Please respond for each contract type.
     
     
     
     • Fixed-Price Services (e.g. Contractor retains ownership)
       
       
       
       • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Fixed-Price Supply (e.g. DD-250 to the Government)
       
       
       
       • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Cost-plus Supply (e.g. DD-250 to the Government)
       
       
       
       • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Hybrid Services – Cost-plus through Design phase followed by Fixed-Price through the final ISS deorbit execution
       
       
       
       • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Hybrid Supply (e.g. DD-250 to the Government) – Cost-plus through Design phase followed by Fixed-Price to Government acceptance.
       
       
       
       • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
       
       
       
       
     
     
     • Please elaborate on any issues that would prevent your company from proposing to any contract types listed above and provide recommendations.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • If the Government procured the USDV as a service but required NASA to operate the USDV, with the contractor providing real-time engineering support, would that operations model prevent your company from proposing. Please respond with:
     
     
     
     • [] Yes- It would prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • [] No- It would not prevent my company from proposing.
     
     
     • Please elaborate on any issues that would prevent your company from proposing and provide recommendations.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   

This presolicitation synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. The Government may not respond to questions/concerns submitted. The Government will use the information obtained from respondents to this RFI to finalize the RFP as necessary.

All comments or questions shall be submitted electronically via email to ashley.h.chaves@nasa.gov, no later than December 21, 2022 at 3:00PM Central. When responding, please reference 80JSC022ISSDeorbit.

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html .

If a solicitation is released, then it and any additional documents will be available on www.SAM.gov. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this website for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.

NASA intends to publicize a listing of respondents in order to facilitate teaming arrangements. Should your firm desire not to be included in this listing, clearly indicate this desire in your response.

The items listed below can be found as attachments to this notice. Some attachments contain information and technical data that are export controlled. Interested partied must request access to these attachments by following the instructions below.

Draft SSP 51101, United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) Systems Requirements Document (SRD)-EXPORT CONTROLLED

International Space Station (ISS) Deorbit Concept of Operation-EXPORT CONTROLLED

SSP 50808, International Space Station (ISS) to Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Interface Requirements Document-EXPORT CONTROLLED

SSP 51721, ISS Safety Requirements Documents-EXPORT CONTROLLED

Draft ISS Deorbit Concept of Operations-EXPORT CONTROLLED

NPD 8610.7D, Launch Services Risk Mitigation Policy for NASA-Owned and/or NASA-Sponsored Payloads/Missions - Revalidated w/Change 2, 03/29/2018- PUBLIC RELEASE

Individuals requesting access to the export controlled scientific and technical information must provide the following information to the Contracting Officer by email through an authorized manager of their company’s Security or Human Resources Offices. That authorized individual shall verify that the information provided to NASA is correct, complete, and accurate. Companies are responsible for ensuring their compliance with all U.S. export regulations:

1) Full Company Name:

2) Company Address:

3) Is this a corporation, business association, partnership, society, trust, or any other entity, organization or group that is incorporated to do business in the United States?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

4) Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code:

5) Company Security or Human Resources Point of contact(s) providing/verifying information about the individual requesting access:

a. Name and Title

b. Phone Number

c. e-mail

6) List the names of all individuals requesting access to the export controlled data including:

a. Name

b. The individual named above is [ ] or is not [ ] a U.S. person as defined in Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 120.15

c. If the individual is not a U.S. person what is their citizenship? _________

ALTERNATE 6b: Citizenship: Specify Citizenship

[ ]Non-U.S. Persons must list any other countries to which individual claims citizenship __________

List Place of Birth: _______________

All foreign nationals from designated countries covered by a Programmatic Technology Transfer Control Plan (PTTCP) or requiring access to export controlled information are required to have an Individual Technology Transfer Control Plan (I-TTCP) with a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Foreign nationals from non-designated countries requiring access to export-controlled information covered by a P-TTCP are required to comply with the International Partner or Foreign National Certification contained in the P-TTCP.

Point of Emphasis:

The Company is responsible for ensuring compliance with the export regulations. Included as attachments to this RFI, and listed in the table below, are current versions of requirement documents that are being considered by NASA for an USDV procurement. These documents are export controlled and interested parties must follow the directions above to request access to download the attachments.

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Mod 2 Legacy Posting Info:

This is Modification 2 to the Sources Sought Notice entitled International Space Station Deorbit Capability 80JSC022ISSDeorbit which was posted on August 19, 2022. You are notified that the following additional information is being shared and responses requested.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/ Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is hereby soliciting additional information from potential sources for the Universal Spacecraft De-Orbit Vehicle (USDV) contract.

The primary objective of this contract is to procure the service for safe, reliable, and cost-effective deorbit services to meet NASA’s International Space Station end-of-life mission requirements. This will require the contractor to design, development, manufacture, test and operate a USDV that can provide services for the final de-orbit of the International Space Station. This contract includes all phases of the manufacture and operations of the de-orbit vehicle including maintaining a Launch On Need (LON) status, launch, rendezvous, docking and mission execution.

The USDV requirements may include, but are not limited to:

• Program Management


• Configuration and Data Management


• Risk Management


• Interface Requirement Management


• Design, Development, Test and Evaluation (DDT&E)


• Design and Construction Standards


• Safety, Reliability, Quality and Mission Assurance


• Design, Analysis and Trades


• Software Management


• Test and Verification


• Operations

Capability Statement

The NASA/JSC 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 USDV contract. 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.

Interested firms having the required capabilities necessary to meet the above requirement described herein should submit a capability statement of no more than 5 pages indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort including appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references. Please include the following information:

1. Name and address of firm.

2. Point of Contact (POC)

3. Size of business; average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees;

4. Ownership; e.g.: Large, SB, SDB, SBA 8(a), HubZone, WOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB, and HBCU/MI;

5. Unique Entity ID

6. Number of years in business;

7. Affiliate information such as parent company or joint venture partners;

8. List of customers with relevant work performed covering the past five years. Ensure to include the following:

i. Contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement;

ii. POC - address and phone number

Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI)

In addition to the information requested above, NASA/JSC is requesting information from industry regarding potential organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) arising from the USDV contract.

The nature of the work anticipated under the USDV contract may create the potential for OCI(s) as currently described in FAR Subpart 9.5. Each interested party should review FAR Subpart 9.5 in light of NASA’s anticipation of OCI issues and consider carefully the extent to which an OCI may arise before making the decision to compete for the USDV contract.

Specifically, NASA anticipates that the effort under the USDV will include the following types of tasks which could lead to potential OCI issues. This list is not all inclusive.

Contractor may provide support in terms of preparing specifications or work statements, which would give rise to a biased ground rules OCI.

Contractor may have access to another company’s proprietary, business confidential or financial data and/or non-public Government sensitive information, which would give to an unequal access OCI.

Contractor may be required to perform technical reviews or provide consultation services on its own offers, products, or services (or those of its affiliate(s) or competitor(s)) provided under a different contract(s), which could create an impaired objectivity OCI.

Interested parties are requested to address the following questions:

1. What type(s) of OCI issues would your company or potential team identify, if any, should you choose to propose on the USDV contract?

2. What strategies would you anticipate proposing to mitigate the OCI issues that you identified (if any)? Please provide strategy details, previous examples/experience with other contracts with NASA or other agencies, etc.

3. Are there any other types of potential OCI issues with the USDV contract that were not identified in this RFI (assuming any were identified)?

4. Does your company foresee any OCI issues associated with the USDV contract that would cause you to decide not to propose on the potential USDV RFP?

NASA will review any responses received regarding potential OCI and each offeror’s proposed OCI mitigation strategy. NASA will respond to each company who submits a mitigation strategy. NASA’s response is not intended to serve as a confirmation that, in fact, all potential OCI have been identified, an OCI will ultimately exist, or that an interested party is capable of successfully eliminating or mitigating an identified OCI. NASA’s response is also not intended to encourage or discourage any interested party from responding to an RFP issued for USDV contract in the future. Furthermore, NASA’s response in no way alters or interprets FAR 9.5 as it applies to a final statement of work or a final proposal submission, should an interest party elect to submit a proposal to an RFP for USDV contract. Subsequent to the initial OCI submission and NASA’s response, NASA will not consider further information as it relates to this RFI.

NASA will not affirmatively release any information received in response to this RFI to the public but may use information received in developing the best approach for a contract strategy, and therefore such information may be recognizable to the interested party who submitted it. Any information submitted in response to this RFI that is marked as “Confidential Commercial or Financial Information” will be considered as voluntarily submitted in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.

Executive Order (EO) 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government

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 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?

This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the EO 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement.

NASA intends to publicize a listing of respondents in order to facilitate teaming arrangements. Should your firm desire not to be included in this listing, clearly indicate this desire in your response.

All questions should be directed to the point of contact identified below. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by NASA to form a binding contract. NASA is under no obligation to issue a solicitation or to award any contract on the basis of this RFI. NASA will not pay for any information solicited under this RFI. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of a solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. It is the interested party’s responsibility to monitor this website for the release of any subsequent solicitation or synopsis.

Point of Contact

Name: Ashley Chaves

Title: Contracting Officer

Email: ashley.h.chaves@nasa.gov

All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Ashley Chaves at ashley.h.chaves@nasa.gov no later than Friday, October 14, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. Please reference 80JSC022ISSDeorbit RFI#2 in any response.

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Mod 1 Legacy Posting Info:

This is Modification 1 to the special notice entitled "International Space Station Deorbit Capability", 80JSC022ISSDeorbit, which was posted on August 19, 2022. You are notified that the following change is made:

1. The due date for responses is extended to September 16, 2022.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP). NO PROPOSALS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.

This notice is issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Johnson Space Center (JSC) to solicit responses from interested parties to gauge industry’s capabilities to provide deorbit capabilities for the International Space Station (ISS).

This document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify the reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition.

Background:

The ISS is a large, complex, multi-national space station operated in low-Earth orbit by the NASA and its International Partners (IPs). At the completion of ISS operations, currently planned through 2030, the ISS must be safely deorbited via a controlled reentry into an unpopulated region. It is the responsibility of all ISS partners to ensure the safe deorbit and reentry of the ISS at its end-of-life (EOL).

Section 303(c)(2) of the Public Law 115-10, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017, calls for NASA to perform “an evaluation of the feasible and preferred service life of the ISS beyond the period described in section 503 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18353)” and “an identification of the necessary actions and an estimate of the costs to deorbit the ISS once it has reached the end of its service life.”

Per ISS International Partner agreement and request, NASA is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to assess industry’s capability to design, develop, manufacture, launch, and provide the on-orbit operation to enable a controlled re-entry and the safe deorbit the ISS.

The deorbit vehicle shall attach (via docking or berthing) to the ISS at least one (1) year prior to the planned ISS reentry date to enable adequate time for on-orbit tests and checkouts. ISS altitude lowering can occur naturally via atmospheric drag or via Russian propulsive control from the deorbit vehicle rendezvous altitude to the final circular holding altitude at approximately 270 km, where maneuvers will be performed as necessary to establish proper ground tracks prior to the final deorbit burn sequences. Below 270 km, a combination of natural decay and/or propulsive maneuvers will reduce the ISS perigee to approximately 150 km. Shortly thereafter, the deorbit vehicle will perform the final reentry burn resulting in a controlled reentry of the ISS within a pre-defined, uninhabited entry corridor. Throughout the final series of deorbit events, the deorbit vehicle will be responsible for providing both delta-v and attitude control of the ISS.

Although nominal ISS EOL is late 2030, the Government requires that this deorbit capability be available as soon as possible to protect for contingencies that could drive early re-entry and beyond 2030 in the event of further ISS mission extensions.

Ground Rules and Assumptions:

1. The deorbit vehicle design and operations shall enable a contingency call-up for launch on-need to support an earlier than nominal plan de-orbit scenario. This call may be made as late as L-6 months prior to the needed de-orbit date.


2. The deorbit vehicle design and operations shall support a later than nominal plan de-orbit scenario due to the extension of the ISS EOL beyond 2030.


3. The deorbit vehicle shall remain on-orbit in a quiescent mode for a minimum of one year preceding the final deorbit burn.


4. The deorbit vehicle design and operations shall allow rendezvous and attach to the ISS at Node 2 Forward.


5. The deorbit vehicle design and operations shall allow for operational scenarios including both a crewed and uncrewed ISS.


6. The deorbit vehicle design may require complex software development including autonomous operations and failure response late in the deorbit phases.


7. The deorbit vehicle is a must-work function.


8. The deorbit vehicle shall be capable of providing at least 47 m/s of delta-v for the ISS at 450,000 kg mass.


9. The deorbit vehicle shall provide a minimum total thrust of 3236 N.


10. The deorbit vehicle shall provide attitude control for the mated stack throughout the deorbit sequence of events.

Additional detail on the concept of operations can be found in the “ISS Deorbit USOS Concept of Operations Overview” presentation attached below.

Request for Information:

Respondents are requested to provide the following information to assist in NASA's preparation of a potential future Request for Proposal (RFP).

Procurement Interest / Classification

1. Please identify your company’s level of interest, capabilities, relevant experience, and any additional information that may assist the agency.


2. Please comment on which North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s) are most applicable to the acquisition envisioned by NASA.


3. Please comment on which Product Service Code(s) (PSC) are most applicable to the acquisition envisioned by NASA.

Contract Type / Incentive Arrangement

1. Describe and provide the rationale for a desired contract type(s) and any contract types that would discourage your company from proposing on this effort.
   
   
   
   1. If a hybrid contract type is recommended, please provide a rationale for why along with a recommendation of when the transition of contract type should occur. Address any known risks and/or benefits associated with your company’s recommended arrangement and provide any appropriate mitigation techniques. Examples for consideration include:
      
      
      
      1. Hybrid Cost-Plus & Fixed Price Supply
      
      
      2. Hybrid Cost-Plus & Fixed Price Service
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. Specifically, identify any risks associated with a firm-fixed price contract. What contract structure (contract type, schedule, incentives, milestone payment schedule) would your company propose for this effort? Examples for consideration include:
      
      
      
      1. Fixed Price – Commercial Service
      
      
      2. Fixed Price – Non-Commercial Service
      
      
      3. Fixed Price – Supply
      
      
      
      
   
   
   3. Specifically, identify any risks associated with a cost-reimbursement contract. What contract structure (contract type and incentives) would your company propose for this effort? Examples for consideration include:
      
      
      
      1. Cost Plus Service
      
      
      2. Cost Plus Supply
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

Teaming Arrangements

1. NASA seeks industry inputs regarding potentially advantageous and synergistic teaming arrangements amongst potential suppliers.

Risks and Liability

1. Describe the safety, reliability, programmatic, and technical risks your company considers to be drivers from a program execution perspective and potential mitigating actions that may be appropriate for NASA to consider in its planning. Identify any known supply chain impacts to providing this capability in a timely fashion.


2. Provide considerations for how the government should contractually address liability for the performance of the de-orbit vehicle.

Operational Challenges

1. What is a reasonable length of time for the development, manufacture, and delivery of the vehicle?


2. How would your company approach the launch requirement for delivering the vehicle to orbit? Please address any technical or programmatic challenges.


3. How would your company approach the launch on need requirements for delivering the vehicle to orbit earlier or later than planned ISS EOL? Please address any technical or programmatic challenges.


4. How soon prior to launch would your company need a decision on docking or berthing? Please address any technical or programmatic challenges. Identify challenges to maintaining a parallel path and a decision point for downselecting to a single configuration (L-X).


5. Is there any additional information your company can share with respect to your approach for development, safety, reliability, qualification, production, operations, and schedule?


6. How would your company approach real-time mission operations?

Commercialization and Existing Capabilities

1. Describe any existing systems or vehicles that could be used in the design and operation of your company’s vehicle.


2. What approach(es) would your company recommend that NASA take in the development or acquisition process to avoid creating barriers to commercialization.


3. Is there a future use of this capability for future Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) destinations or other commercial efforts?

Government Provided Service, Facilities and/or Hardware

1. Describe any specific services, facilities and/or hardware that your company would find of value if provided by the Government.

Percentage of New Development

1. What percentage of this effort would your company classify as new development versus use of an existing solution? For existing solutions, please identify the current use(s).

Recommended Proposal Preparation Time

1. Provide a recommendation on the number of working days required to develop a detailed proposal.

This presolicitation synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. The Government may not respond to questions/concerns submitted. The Government will use the information obtained from respondents to this RFI to finalize the RFP as necessary.

All comments or questions shall be submitted electronically via email to ashley.h.chaves@nasa.gov, no later than September 16, 2022 at 3:00 PM Central. When responding reference 80JSC022ISSDeorbit.

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html .

If a solicitation is released, then it and any additional documents will be available on www.sam.gov. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this website for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.

NASA intends to publicize a listing of respondents in order to facilitate teaming arrangements. Should your firm desire not to be included in this listing, clearly indicate this desire in your response.

Attachments/Links