Category: Opportunity
DoD Communities Of Interest: Space
Subject: Sinequone - Getting to and operating in XGEO space
Due Date: 2022-12-21 23:59:59 US/Eastern Time
Government Organization: Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Description:
Problem
Primary Challenge & Objective: There is a vast region of space that begins at Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) and extends out to the Earth-Moon Lagrange point on the far side of the Moon (L2).
Commonly referred to as xGEO (beyond GEO), this region will experience a rapid influx of activity from national, international, and commercial sources in this decade. As the U.S. prepares to return to the Moon, the need for responsive access to this region is absolutely necessary, or in Latin “sine qua non”. The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks commercial solutions for implementing responsive access to xGEO and demonstrating timely and precise delivery of a space vehicle (SV) to a predetermined orbit in xGEO.
Secondary Challenge & Objective: Operating vehicles and payloads in xGEO is another challenge. The communications infrastructure is sparse, the radiation environment is harsh, and gravity from the Moon and Sun have greater effects on station keeping and maneuvering. As such, the DoD further seeks technical demonstration of a suite of payloads or instruments on board the Sinequone SV in the xGEO region of space and provide the means to develop and improve procedures and best practices for operation.
Desired Solution Attributes
In addition to being (A) relevant, (B) articulating the technical merit and feasibility of your proposed solution, and (C) novelty or uniqueness, competitive offers should address the following:
For the Primary Objective:
- Affordability: Identify solutions that can significantly drive down cost of delivering SVs to xGEO space;
- Speed: Identify solutions that can increase the speed of delivering SVs to xGEO space on a responsive timeline (days, weeks, couple months at most) and a demo delivery within 12-18 months of award; and
- Preserve SV life: Identify solutions that can increase SV life by reducing the need to use SV-propulsion for orbital insertion.
Delivery methods may include a combination of terrestrial-based launch and multi-orbit logistics. Space vehicles of interest range in size from 12U cubesat to ESPA Grande; proposals do not need to be able to accommodate the entire range of SV sizes. Regions of interest in xGEO space include, but are not limited to, one or more of the five (5) Earth-Moon Lagrange points and lunar orbits.
For the Secondary Objective:
- Capability: Identify payload solutions with some, or all, of the following capabilities of interest, or other, unlisted capabilities:
- visible and infrared (IR) imaging,
- onboard image processing,
- high impulse propulsion,
- autonomy,
- space-radiation monitoring, and
- communications to include free-space optical.
Note that solution responses do not need to address both the primary and secondary objectives. The DoD would also like to explore the capability to integrate commercial and government-owned payloads onto the space vehicle.
The Government may facilitate teaming arrangements among submissions offering complementary capabilities to achieve desired effect. Companies are also welcome to present their own teaming arrangements in their solution briefs.
Companies are advised that any prototype Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) awarded in response to this AoI may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of further competitive procedures. The follow-on production contract or transaction will be available for use by one or more organizations in the Department of Defense and, as a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the prototype OTA. As such, any prototype Other Transaction Agreement will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: "In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OTA may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”
Questions during the solicitation period will be received until the AoI close-out date. Answers will be posted as appropriate on https://www.diu.mil/work-with-us/other-notifications.
Questions or assistance, contact:
North Carolina Defense Technology Transition Office (DEFTECH)
Dennis Lewis
lewisd@ncmbc.us
703-217-3127
Bob Burton
burtonr@ncmbc.us
910-824-9609
North Carolina Defense Technology Transition Office | PO Box 1748, Fayetteville, NC 28303