G
Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Atmospheric Composition Request for Information (RFI)
THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. NO PROPOSALS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.
1.0 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
This notice is issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to seek information related to an instrument for air quality and environmental observations under consideration to be a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) program series of geostationary satellites.
Specifically, two types of responses are sought:
The purpose of this portion of the RFI is to post a draft Statement of Work (SOW); in addition to draft technical documents to include the Performance and Operational Requirements Document (PORD), the Unique Instrument Interface Document (UIID), the General Interface Requirements Document (GIRD), and the Instrument Mission Assurance Requirements Document (IMAR), to solicit responses from vendors interested in bidding on a definition-phase study of a geostationary Atmospheric Composition instrument (ACX). The SOW specifies the requirements for the definition-phase studies and design development as part of the ACX formulation activities. In addition, the Government is releasing draft sections of a potential future release of a request for proposal (RFP), which includes only sections L (Instructions) and M (Evaluation Factors) for industry comment.
Information is sought on instrument system design concepts to facilitate ongoing trade studies of feasible instrument capabilities and observational value relative to budget constraints to refine the mission architecture and to prepare for a potential, future release of a request for proposal (RFP) to procure up to two (2) Atmospheric Composition (ACX) instruments and/or related services for the GeoXO program series of geostationary satellites. The design of the ACX instrument should be consistent with the Performance and Operational Requirements Document (PORD), the Unique Instrument Interface Document (UIID), the General Interface Requirements Document (GIRD) requirement set and be capable of meeting Instrument Mission Assurance Requirements (IMAR).
Please note that the submission due dates for the two options differ and are defined in sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 below.
2.0 BACKGROUND
The GOES program currently consists of the GOES-R series satellites. The GOES-R series represented a generational change in both spacecraft and instrument performance over previous GOES N-P series. The Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) program is the follow-on to the GOES-R series, with initial launch capability in 2032. The current planned architecture for the GeoXO series consists of three satellites operating in geostationary orbit. The nominal locations are 75 degrees west (GeoXO East) 137 degrees west (GeoXO West) and 90 degrees west longitude (GeoXO Central), however the exact locations are dependent on NOAA user needs. The two (2) ACX instruments will each be accommodated on a GeoXO Central satellite. The ACX will be a hyperspectral, UV through visible, imaging spectrometer that is a Class C instrument with a 10 year mission lifetime and a 0.6 reliability requirement as defined in the Performance and Operational Requirements Document (PORD).
The GeoXO study team is assessing candidate mission architectures to meet mission observation objectives that can be accommodated within cost and schedule constraints as part of pre-Phase A and Phase A activities leading to a Systems Requirements Review (SRR) anticipated to occur in the 2nd quarter of FY2022. To facilitate this assessment, Phase A studies are planned to study instrument concepts relative to the current performance requirements and assess the prescribed trade studies. The Government anticipates awarding up to two firm fixed price contracts, of up to 20 months duration and approximately $5M each for this definition-phase (Phase A) study. The Final Study Report is anticipated to be due up to 12 months after contract award with the Risk Mitigation Report and Technology Development Report due up to 20 months after contract award. Any proposed technology development or risk mitigation efforts would be included in the fixed price. Through response to Option 1 of this RFI, the Government is seeking feedback as to the reasonableness and clarity of the Phase A study scope and requirements.
Due to the timing of the start and end of the Phase A studies, the government is also requesting initial instrument concept information (through response to Option 2) to facilitate processes and trade studies to achieve SRR as scheduled. The study team plans to use the information provided in combination with studies of all mission elements to assess overall mission architecture options relative to observational objectives and cost and schedule constraints.
3.0 GeoXO ACX OBSERVATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
NOAA users have a need for persistet air quality and environmental observation over targeted areas of North America provided by an atmospheric composition instrument. This instrument would be a new development for the GOES constellation. The ACX remotely collects hourly daytime pollution measurements of the Earth’s atmosphere. The instrument is a hyperspectral, UV through visible imaging spectrometer that will collect measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants used to determine national air quality, hazard, and fire forecasts and warnings. The ACX instrument will provide hourly daylight coverage of a 4.82x8.38 degree region around greater North America, with a 5km x 5km spatial resolution at nadir. The ACX instrument will be accommodated on GeoXO Central satellite near 90W longitude.
The ACX mission objectives are:
a. Provide new atmospheric composition operational data that will be used by NOAA and other public and private agencies to produce forecasts of air quality and pollution.
b. Improve air quality information for public safety.
c. Accumulate a long-term database to track decadal changes in air quality.
4.0 REFERENCE PARAMETERS
The following reference parameters should be considered in the responses to this RFI.
4.1 Notional Schedule
Key dates for the current notional GeoXO mission schedule are as follows. This hypothetical schedule may or may not be or become the planned mission schedule.
If an RFP for the instrument is released, it is anticipated to follow the schedule below:
4.2 Instrument Requirements
Any future procurement for the GeoXO series Atmospheric Composition (ACX) instrument will require the instrument to meet certain functional and performance requirements in agreement with the Performance and Operational Requirements Document (PORD), General Interface Requirements Document (GIRD), and the Unique Instrument Interface Document (UIID) provided as attachment reference to this RFI.
4.2.1 GeoXO ACX Performance and Operational Requirements (PORD) document
The Performance and Operational Requirements Document (PORD) sets the performance requirements for the Atmospheric Composition (ACX) instrument.
4.2.2 General Interface Requirements Document (GIRD)
The General Interface Requirements Document (GIRD) defines the mechanical, thermal, electrical power, command and data handling and contamination control interface requirements imposed on both the instruments and spacecraft for the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) Series System. It also defines the general environments to which the satellite will be subjected. The spacecraft contractor and the instrument contractor shall each meet their respective interface requirements defined in this document.
4.2.3 Unique Instrument Interface Documents (UIID)
The purpose of the Unique Instrument Interface Document (UIID) is three-fold. The first is to allocate GeoXO spacecraft resources (including optical and thermal fields of views) to each instrument. The second is to serve as a core building block on which the instruments-to-spacecraft interfaces can be designed. Third, the UIID document exceptions to the GIRD requirements and constraints, and defines the special requirements not specifically covered in the GIRD.
4.3 Safety and Mission Assurance Processes
Any future procurement for ACX will require a design and mission assurance program that meets the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) processes defined in the GeoXO Instrument Mission Assurance Requirements (IMAR) document found as a reference document to this RFI. To that end, concepts should be capable of meeting these requirements.
5.0 INFORMATION REQUESTED
Disclaimers:
This is a request for information and is for planning and information purposes only. This is not a request for proposal or quotation, nor is this a solicitation for a contract or grant award. This RFI does not obligate the government in any way. The Government will not reimburse the respondents for any costs associated with the information submitted in response to this request. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov (https://www. sam.gov/). It is the interested party’s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.
The information is requested for planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled "Solicitation for Information for Planning Purposes.” As part of the study and review process, the study team intends on using material provided to assess concept feasibility, which includes distribution and presentation of material as part of review processes. Only material suitable for internal Government distribution shall be submitted. Any restricted information should be marked accordingly. The U.S. Government will protect all restricted information received from respondents, and distribution of any material will be based on a strict need-to-know basis. However, note that the submissions may be subject to review by experts outside of the civil service, including NASA and NOAA contractors, each of whom is bound to protect restricted data from unauthorized use or disclosure per their respective contracts. No classified material should be provided. Submittals identified as containing such material shall be destroyed and not considered further.
To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as “Proprietary or Confidential” will be kept confidential.
The Government may use this information to finalize any possible future RFP.
As part of its assessment of industry capabilities, NASA may contact respondents to this RFI for clarifications or further information and/or hold an Industry Day, which will be one-on-one meetings between the Government and each company to be scheduled after the receipt of all responses. Please include a statement in your response if you are interested in attending a one-on-one meeting.
5.1 Response Submission and Deadlines
Interested parties should submit a response to Option 1 in accordance with the instructions contained in Section 5.2 below.
Interested parties should submit a response to Option 2 in accordance with the instructions contained in section 5.3 below. Please note that extra response time is provided for response to Option 2.
Responses should be in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Portable Document Format (.pdf). The Master Equipment List (MEL) should follow the templates provided and should be in Microsoft Excel format (.xls or .xlsx). The MEL shall be provided with the response to Option 2 as an appendix and is not included in the page count.
5.1.1 Response Option 1 Deadline
Responses for feedback on the draft solicitation, SOW, and requirements should be submitted via electronic mail (e-mail) to the point of contact below, no later than 5 pm Eastern Time, by 08/09/2021. The subject line of the submission should be "RFI for draft GeoXO ACX Study Requirements".
5.1.2 Response Option 2 Deadline
Responses for instrument concepts should be submitted via electronic mail (e-mail) to the point of contact below, no later than 5 pm Eastern Time by 09/20/2021. The subject line of the submission should be "RFI for GeoXO ACX Instrument Concepts".
Respondents are highly encouraged to submit any questions regarding Option 1 of this request within 1 week of RFI release and within 2 weeks for Option 2, to the point of contact below to allow the Government time to develop responses prior to the due date for submissions. The subject line of questions should be "Questions regarding RFI for GeoXO ACX." As practicable, questions and any responses provided will be posted to the same location as the RFI prior to the response due date to assist all potential respondents. The Government reserves the discretion to determine which questions are practical to respond to and might not respond to all questions/concerns submitted.
Points of Contact
Darlene Harkins, Contracting Officer
5.2 Response Option 1: Phase A Study Draft Solicitation, SOW and Requirements Feedback
This portion of the RFI is for information and planning purposes to allow industry the opportunity to provide feedback on the scope and requirements of the Phase A study, to verify reasonableness and feasibility, and promote competition. The Government is requesting information on the following with a total page limit of 5 pages, not including items 4 and 5:
5.3 Response Option 2: Instrument Concepts
This portion of the RFI requests instrument system design concept and development plan information to facilitate ongoing trade studies to assess feasible instrument capabilities and associated observational value relative to budget constraints to refine the mission architecture.
Please provide the following information that addresses the requested concept and plan for this response, relative to the reference parameters in section 4.0 with a total page limit of 12 pages. The page limit does not include the Master Equipment List (MEL):
a .Describe and explain the concept design and capabilities of proposed instrument and how it meets instrument reference parameters in section 4.2, including measurement and performance characteristics that includes values for spectral range, spectral resolution and sampling, spatial resolution, coverage area, revisit time, polarization sensitivity, and estimated SNR. Include explanations of how the instrument concept addresses Image Navigation and Registration (INR).
b. Describe the planned redundancy to meet the required reliability and mission life.
c .Provide the heritage, maturity, and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) (Reference: https://esto.nasa.gov/files/trl_definitions.pdf) of the proposed instrument and its subsystems and any necessary projected maturation plan to achieve TRL 6 by the Preliminary Design Review.
d. Provide: mass; total power allocation, volume, data rate.
e. Identify and describe key technical, schedule and cost drivers.
4. Master Equipment List (MEL):
a. Develop an initial Master Equipment List (MEL) for the concept per the reference attachment template and submit it as an appendix to the response.
b. The MEL shall document the mass, power, and TRL of each major sub-component.
5. Instrument Accommodation Needs: Describe the instrument accommodation needs that should be levied on the spacecraft, such as technical resources, interfaces, fields of view for operation including thermal control, and any other special accommodation needs.
6. Development Approach: Outline the approach and timeline for developing and testing the instrument concept, including the recommended plan and fidelity for engineering development units (Prototypes, Engineering Models, etc.) and solutions to developing the quantities of flight instruments.
7. System Integration and Environmental Test (I&T): Describe the planned or recommended process and available facilities to integrate and functionally test multiple instrument builds, including pre-launch performance characterization and calibration.
8. Schedule Estimate: