INDUSTRY DAY: PTS-G

The United States Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (MCPNT) Program Executive Office is interested in launching and operating a proliferated constellation of small, when compared to traditional, Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) communication satellites.

As the United States (U.S.) and its mission partners become more reliant on space-based capabilities, the USSF is considering more resilient and disaggregated satellite constellations. The USSF Space Warfare Analysis Center (SWAC) described a Space Data Transport Broadband Force Design that includes the Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) Resilient (PTS-R) satellites operating in the military Ka-band and PTS Global (PTS-G) transponded satellites operating in X-band and military Ka-band. For PTS-G, SSC is conducting further market research on commercial solutions for inexpensive, quick-to-launch small GEO communication satellites capable of repositioning between assigned International Telecommunication Union (ITU) orbital slots in the GEO arc to serve warfighters where their needs arise.

Disclaimer: This announcement is for informational purposes only. This is not a request for proposal to be submitted. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment as the Government does not intend to award a contract based on this request. The Government will not reimburse costs associated with the documentation submitted under this request. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this inquiry. Further, the Government is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. As such, this notice does not constitute a solicitation or a promise of a solicitation in the future. This Industry Day announcement does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service.

Description: SSC will be hosting an Industry Day for industry partners that have experience with and are interested in supporting USSF satellite communications requirements. This Industry Day will be an opportunity for the Government to communicate requirements to industry, while also providing opportunities for industry to present relevant company capabilities and provide feedback on the initial set of Government requirements. This Industry Day intends to be a follow-up to the USSF/SSC Micro Geostationary Earth Orbit (MicroGEO) Sources Sought (SAM.gov Notice ID: FA2541_MicroGEO_SourcesSought) and the PTS-G Requests for Information (SAM.gov Notice ID: FA880725X000XPTSG and FA880725X000XPTSG-RFI2).

The Government will provide a presentation to interested parties on 13 June 2024.  The Government will also be hosting optional one-on-one company-specific sessions on 13 and 14 June 2024. Details on Industry Day registration and one-on-one requests are detailed below. Additional information and instructions regarding the one-on-one sessions will be provided to companies scheduled for a one-on-one session.

Industry Day Information:

Where:             LinQuest MSEIT Facility, 300 N. PCH, Suite 2000, El Segundo, CA 90245

When:              Thursday, 13 June 2024, 0830-1200 Pacific Time (PT) (Government Presentation)

                        Thursday, 13 June 2024, 1300-1700 PT (Industry One-on-One Sessions Only)

                        Friday, 14 June 2024, 0830-1700 PT (Industry One-on-One Sessions Only)

Who:               Industry partners with experience delivering satellite communications; and companies (and their subcontractors) that can execute a prime contract supporting USSF requirements for satellite communications. Due to presentation of sensitive information, attendance will be restricted to U.S. Citizens only. Foreign Nationals are not authorized to attend this event. Each company is limited to 2 attendees.

UOD:               OCPs/Business Casual

Classification: Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)

Registration:   Registration deadline is 1600 PT on Friday, 31 May 2024. To register, e-mail the Government Point of Contacts (POCs) below with the e-mail subject “PTS-G Industry Day Registration” and the following information: Full Name, company, and citizenship. Due to presentation of CUI data, U.S. Citizenship verification is required. To verify citizenship, the attendee must bring a certified birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, or naturalization certificates. If the attendee does not provide proof of citizenship, they will not be allowed into the Industry Day Session. A welcome package will be delivered via e-mail to confirmed attendees one week prior to the event.

One-on-Ones:  One-on-one request deadline is 1600 PT on Friday, 31 May 2024. The Government will confirm your selection for a One-on-One session by 5 June 2024. To request a one-on-one, e-mail SSC.CGTC.workflow@spaceforce.mil by 1600 PT on 31 May 2024 with the e-mail subject “PTS-G Industry Day One-on-One Request” and the following information: Company, full name of company POC, full names of company attendees, attendees’ citizenship, and an attachment with the briefing topic, and a 150-word summary of the briefing topic using the following attachment naming convention: [CompanyName]_PTSG_ID_Response_[dd.mm.yy]. U.S. citizenship verification is required for One-on-One sessions participation. To verify citizenship, the attendee must bring a certified birth certificate, valid U.S. passport, or naturalization certificates. If the attendee does not provide proof of citizenship, they will not be allowed into the One-on-One session. The company will be allowed 30 minutes to present company information and answer Government questions.

The Government requests that briefing topics are related to the list below. All the topics below are not required or expected to be discussed in the 30-minute One-on-One session.

1. Maturity of Ka and X band satellite and ground teleport designs

2. TRD: General observations, identification of costly requirements and areas needing improvement

3. Cybersecurity: Company’s approach, concerns with RMF/documents provided and recommended approach

4. Timeline for classified information infrastructure implementation

5. Possibility of return of SV to the development contractor after a 5-year mission life

6. Details on type of encryption used for TT&C

7. Commercial satellite operations concept

8. Communications planning approach at the enterprise level for partitioning the payload between PTW users and non-PTW users

9. Payload constraints for user coverage beam operations with a mix of terminal sizes, PTW and non-PTW waveforms, and network connectivities (e.g., in-beam point to point, in-beam DAMA networks, PTW Forward/Return connectivity to Joint Hub).

Additional Information: The event is in-person. No virtual option will be offered. Registration is free. Refreshments and lunch will not be provided. The Industry Day location is located in the vicinity of several restaurants.

Government POCs:

Registration Link: https://einvitations.afit.edu/inv/rsvp.cfm?i=870499&k=0A66420D725E

One-on-One Requests & Industry Day Questions: SSC.CGTC.workflow@spaceforce.mil

Procurement Contracting Office: Mr. Alejandro Capristan, alejandro.capristan.1@spaceforce.mil

Contract Specialist: Mr. Brett Beljak, brett.beljak.1@spaceforce.mil