Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) 2.0 for Lunar Science and Support Missions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Johnson Space Center (JSC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) 2.0 solicitation. JSC is issuing this Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS)/Request for Information (RFI) as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in, and the resources to, support this requirement. This acquisition will be a follow-on procurement to the current NASA CLPS contracts which limited the competition to domestic sources that provide domestically manufactured space vehicles including landers/transporters. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the type and method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 481212 Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation with a size standard of 1,500 employees. 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) for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for CLPS 2.0. 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. CLPS 2.0 Description: The primary

objective of this contract is to provide all activities necessary to safely integrate, accommodate, transport, and operate NASA Sponsored Payloads using contractor-provided assets, including launch vehicles, lunar lander spacecraft, lunar surface systems, Earth re-entry vehicles and associated resources. Capability Statement: Interested firms having the required capabilities necessary to provide the end-to-end services as described above, should indicate their abilities to perform all aspects of the effort, and include the following information: 1. Technical - Describe your company's overall skills, experience, and capabilities to perform the work of the anticipated CLPS 2.0 procurement. If subcontracting or if a joint venture is anticipated, organizations should address the anticipated administrative and management structure of such arrangements (if this information is known at this time). Also address what elements of work would be performed by the prime or joint venture partners and which elements would be performed by subcontractors. 2. General a. What barriers or obstacles do you foresee to potentially bidding on this contract? Can you identify any Government acquisition approaches that would increase the competitiveness of this procurement? b. What innovations might you propose in the performance of this contract or contract structure? c. Provide feedback and rationale on any other topics, factors, and/or items of interest you would like to address regarding this potential procurement. 3. Company-Specific Information - Responses must include the following: a. Name and address of the firm’s Point of (include DUNS number, address, phone, and email) b. Size of business i. Average annual revenue for past three years ii. Number of employees iii. Whether the firm is Large, SB, Small Disadvantaged Business (SBD), HUBZone, WOSB, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), SDVOSB, and/or HBCU/MI c. Number of years in business CLPS Specific

Questions: These CLPS Specific

Questions are organized into three sections, each tailored to a specific group of participants. We encourage all participants to respond to the sections that are most relevant to their expertise. 1. Current and Prospective CLPS Vendors This group includes companies that design, build, and operate the lunar landers. Their responses are the most critical for understanding the technical and operational feasibility of CLPS 2.0.

A. NASA Insight Models i. Describe your ideal model for collaboration with NASA throughout the mission lifecycle, from award to post-mission data review. What types of collaborative activities, interactions, or technical assistance are most beneficial to ensure task order success? Where could NASA’s involvement be streamlined or adjusted to maximize mission success? ii. What level of NASA insight and oversight would your company recommend for missions where NASA has a lower risk tolerance due to high-value payloads? Please provide an example of a flexible insight model that balances mission success with CLPS cost-efficiency.

B. Expanded Capabilities i. What progress has your company made in developing the capability and commercial processes for accommodating and launching radioactive sources, such as Radioisotope Heater Units or Radioisotope Power Systems, on your missions? Please describe your readiness, any specific challenges encountered, and proposed solutions for their safe integration and transport. Please discuss if the radioisotope systems you are considering would enable extended operations within a Permanently Shadowed Region (PSR). ii. What are the key technical and financial challenges associated with offering a sample return capability on a future CLPS mission? What size lander and ascent stage would be needed for 2 kg return mass and how could NASA best collaborate on this type of mission?