The Air Force is soliciting proposals from industry for its Orbital/Suborbital launch services program (OSP-3), according to a notice listed on Federal Business Opportunities.
The OSP-3 solicitation seeks to competitively award up to six Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contracts, according to an Air Force spokeswoman. The number of launches is limited by the contract ceiling amount with the maximum dollar amount the Defense Department may award under this contract being $900 million and the minimum amount being $20,000, according to a spokeswoman. The ordering period under this contract shall be from the date of award plus five (5) years, according to a spokeswoman.
Two contracts for launches are being set aside for new entrant competition, according to a spokeswoman. One will launch Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), a weather satellite, while the other will launch experimental satellites, including the Air Force Research Lab’s Innovative Space Based Radar Antenna Technology (ISAT), according to a service spokeswoman.
The ISAT launch is part of STP-2, a launch mission for the Defense Department’s Space Test Program, which provides access to space for the DoD space research and development community, according to an Air Force spokeswoman.
Although OSP-3 is typically a small- and medium-lift program, the two new entrant launches are EELV class, which is above the medium classification. The intent is to help demonstrate the new entrants’ capability to launch in that class, which helps the winning company get experience and allows the Air Force to collect data that will help certify the company for higher-risk EELV launches, according to a service spokeswoman.
Industry should expect the award to be issued in the fall, according to an Air Force spokeswoman.
Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] spokesman Barron Beneski said the company, as the incumbent for OSP-1 and OSP-2, will bid on OSP-3. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing [BA] and Lockheed Martin [LMT], is excluded from bidding on the two new entrant opportunities, according to a ULA spokeswoman.