By Marina Malenic
NASA yesterday announced that it is considering two significant procurement actions in the area of commercial reusable suborbital spaceflight services.
The agency “is requesting technical and programmatic input to improve the government’s understanding of flight opportunities to aid potential science investigators in scoping and designing possible future suborbital investigations,” states a request for information posted yesterday on the Federal Business Opportunities web site. “Responses to this RFI are welcome from all interested parties, especially potential providers of suborbital spaceflight services.”
The document states that NASA is seeking: 1) a potential procurement of reusable suborbital spaceflight services; and 2) a solicitation of research investigations that will utilize those commercial reusable suborbital spaceflight services.
NASA recently established the Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR) Office at Ames Research Center, Calif. The office was designated to oversee the effort.
In preparation for future onboard experiments, the RFI states, NASA expects that its payloads may require new services in the areas of: power, data handling, telemetry, internal mounting surfaces, external attachments or ports, viewing portals, attitude control and pointing, day/night flight opportunities, and flight operations at remote field locations.
NASA is interested in opportunities for externally-mounted experiments as well, the document states. Early in 2008, the agency issued an RFI requesting similar information. The RFI released yesterday includes updated information and provides an additional opportunity for all interested parties to submit either new information or an update of a previous submission, according to an agency spokesman.
It is NASA’s intent to solicit reusable suborbital spaceflight services as early as 2010, according to the new RFI. That would lead to a pilot program of suborbital flight operations after flight opportunities become available.
“The Agency welcomes input from industry and other interested parties on approaches to procuring these services while allowing for continued private capital investment in this emerging market,” the document states.
Following review of responses to the RFI, according to an agency spokesman, NASA plans to meet with interested parties at Ames Research Center.