Special Notice

                                                  Partnership Opportunity Document (POD)

                                                                             For

                                                NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

                                                    Lunar Ultraviolet Spectrometer (LUVS)

                                                                    Aug 2024

1.0 Introduction and Scope

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking information under this Partnership Opportunity (POD) to assess interest, concepts, and rough order of magnitude (ROM) costs to provide an instrument optomechanical design, instrument build, instrument integration, and operational support for an ultraviolet spectrometer provided by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Missions will be providing opportunities for payloads to be deployed on the lunar surface.  Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is seeking proposals for Lunar science. If the GSFC proposal is selected for implementation, the mission will proceed into implementation. The following schedule should be used as a basis for responses to this request:

            Proposal Opportunity Document released            Aug 19, 2024

            Responses due                                                          Sep 12, 2024

            Expected AO Release                                                September 15,2024

            Expected Proposal Submission                            December 15, 2024

            Expected ATP Date                                                     July 25, 2025

            Instrument Delivery for Payload Integration          Expected ~ April 1, 2027

            Launch Readiness Date                                              Expected NLT Dec 30, 2028

The Lunar UltraViolet Spectrograph (LUVS) payload is targeting the ARTEMIS Deployed Instrument Program (ADIP), the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments (LTVI), and the Stand-Alone Landing Site-Agnostic Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (SALSA/PRISM) calls under ROSES 2024 (or possibly ROSES 2025). Payloads will have a minimum operation 10 days and a targeted max lifetime of 14 days. Proposals are being solicited for investigations that include development and flight of science-driven payloads to be delivered to the lunar surface by the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS).

NOTE: Upon selection, GSFC may discuss, and further tailor the roles proposed by respondents in the best interests of the proposal.

Total cost and cost fidelity are important issues for the proposal. The cost cap for this AO is expected to be approximately $10M (for SALSA/PRISM) to $25M for ADIP (RY), excluding launch vehicle, and not including mission specific adjustments to the cap. Proposed cost shall include the instrument, Lunar payload suite, instrument integration support, environmental testing, launch site operations, and mission and science operations for~6.5-14 days. GSFC will maintain overall project management, science definition, data analysis and archiving roles. Reserves will be held at the Project level and not with the partner.

There will be no exchange of funds between the teaming partners for the portion of this partnership opportunity dealing with the preparation of the proposal. Teaming partners are expected to support mission concept development and proposal development using internal funding. This will include considerable interaction between partners throughout this effort. If selected, full funding will be available to the teaming partners beginning with Phase A.

If the proposal is selected for development and launch, the selected partner will be the mission integrator responsible for the design, development, integration and testing of the payload with risk management that complies with NPR 8000.4. Where any interfaces (if deemed necessary) with human operators will be consistent with Class A mission.

2.0 Requirements

2.1 Instrument to Accommodate GSFC Provided Payload

This POD covers receiving designs, schedule, budget to design, fab, assemble, and test the LUVS system, a cost-effective and high technology readiness level (TRL) lunar UV/VIS spectrometer, including support of the payload Integration and Test (I&T).

Instrument: The LUVS payload, will operate autonomously on the lunar surface for at least 24 hrs during the lunar day from the lunar south pole as described in the Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon.  The payload architecture allows for well-defined and simple interfaces between the instrument and terminal bus which allow for streamlined development, fabrication, and I&T activities.

The LUVS optical system consists of two main subsystems: The collecting telescope and the scanning spectrograph. The system is optimized for high signal collection and throughput to the sensor(s), with an order of magnitude SNR improvement over previous system designs such as the UVVS spectrometer operated during the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. The system needs to be able to detect changes in the depth of Fraunhofer lines, indicative of lunar exosphere emission,  with a SNR >5.  The nominal spectral resolution is 0.1 - 0.2 nm from 230-6000 nm, respectively. LUVS will search for specific (but weak) emission lines from Ti, Al, Mg, O, Ca, Si, Fe and Na in UVS spectra.

The carrier is expected to accommodate a payload with the following interfaces:

Interface

Value

Volume (cm x cmx cm)

20 x 20 x 10 including small electronics box

Maximum Expected Mass (kg)

< 10 (with 20% Contingency)

Science Operations Power: (W)*

<5

Total Mission Data Generation

< 0.2 GB

* Does not include thermal heater power

More detailed information on the GSFC payload will be provided to those responding to the NOI.

2.2 Interface with CLPS Lander/Other

The instrument provider shall be responsible for:

1. Accommodating CLPS lander interfaces, including mechanical, electrical, thermal, power, and communication
2. Developing a deployment mechanism for the instrument from the CLPS lander to the lunar surface
3. Accommodating 1 and 2 within Safety and Mission Assurance guidance and requirements for CLPS program

Some CLPS Lander interface requirements may not be known until post proposal submission.

2.3 Instrument to Accommodate Lunar Surface Concept of Operations

The Instrument shall be able to:

1. Rotate 90 degrees from Zenith
2. Be able to be commanded and communicate with the hosting platform.
3. Conduct science operations on lunar surface environment

More detailed information on the GSFC Payload will be provided to those responding with a NOI.

3.0 Pre-Selection Support

It is expected that the selected POD respondent will provide support using their own resources to help develop the required proposal elements in response to the AO in the following areas:

Item 1: Instrument design and associated support

This will involve meeting with the PI, project manager, project system engineers, and other proposal team members to establish the instrument architecture, to help define both end-to-end mission and elemental performance requirements, to provide well-defined interfaces for the instruments, launch vehicle and ground system elements, and to identify any necessary technology developments, study topics, and/or other risk areas that may affect mission success. More specific activities and outcomes of the proposal support are listed as the following:

• The selected respondent shall actively participate in concept development to determine a credible design-to-cost solution that meets AO constraints.
• The selected respondent shall produce an instrument design report that includes requirements, block diagram, components, performance, technical budgets (mass, power, data, propellant, pointing, communications, etc.), fault tolerance, verification approach, technology demonstration, risks, analyses of typical mission subsystems, cost estimate, and ground system/operation related requirements (e.g., ground system contact time, data latency, space-ground system interface) in support of the concept design and the mission master equipment list development.
• The selected respondent shall produce a launch vehicle accommodations report to document the details (e.g., performance, fairing envelope, payload adaptor fitting, tipoff/roll rate, center of gravity height, quasi static load/fundamental frequency environments, time between liftoff and separation).

4.0 Competitive Phase A Support

This POD will be in support of a ROSES Announcement of Opportunity. Proposals, if downselected, will enter a non-competitive Phase A.

5.0 POD Response Guidance

Potential respondents are asked to contact the GSFC Point of Contact as soon as possible after release of this document with a Notice of Interest. This contact does not create an obligation to respond to the POD but allows GSFC to disseminate more details on the payload interfaces and concept of operations and to provide answers to questions from potential partners. All Notice of Interest respondents will receive a Data Package with further details that will facilitate a focused response. These details are competition sensitive and not to be shared outside the teams necessary to prepare a full response. All questions and answers will be sent to those who responded to the Notice of Interest, while the source of the questions shall be held confidential. Questions and answers that contain information unique to a respondent’s proprietary approach will not be shared if they are identified as such. Questions can be sent to the contact listed below via email. For purposes of this partnership opportunity, the primary contact is:

POC: Eliad Peretz, eliad.peretz@nasa.gov

Responses to this POD shall:

1. Be in a presentation format (viewgraphs) that shall not exceed 15 pages. The font size for the text shall be no smaller than 12 point. File format should be PDF. The presentation should include, at a minimum:

a. Demonstrate understanding and flight experience in the design, fabrication, integration and testing of space qualified hardware, ideally lunar surface capable hardware.

b. Identify any pertinent missions for which the respondent has provided support for space instruments in the areas of hardware design, fabrication, integration and testing, and mission operations.

c. Provide a technical summary/description of the proposed instrument concept including relevant heritage, including:

       i. Block diagram

       ii. CAD of spacecraft w/ payload volume identified

       iii. Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of sub-systems / components

       iv. Technical budgets: ADCS, Mass, Data, and Power

       v. instrument interface details

       vi. Size, weight, and power available for each configuration

       vii. Mounting points available

       viii. Communication interface and data rates supported

        iv. Available payload data rate supported

d. Provide a description including technical summary and cost for vendor having  responsibility for all electrical control, data, and power  interfaces ( i.e. CDH, mechanism control electronics, Low Voltage Power,etc.) required to support their instrument.  (Block Diagram, etc.).

e. Identify available design and modeling capabilities required to support development of the instrument.

f. Identify assumed mission and system requirements for the instrument and a response to addressing those requirements. Description of operations activities including expected length of commissioning of instrument, interfaces available to the science operations center, and spacecraft telemetry available.

g. Highlight particularly critical or challenging areas for the design of the instrument. Identify additional options available to improve performance

h. Identify fabrication and testing facilities that will be required to support development and test of the Instrument; and important analysis/trade studies that might be needed, including:

• Description of pre-launch integration activities expected such as engineering model testing, flight instrument integration and alignment to the bus, and
• Ability of the science team to participate in spacecraft level checkouts including the instrument   

i. Provide Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate, WBS and schedule for: a) Instrument build and b) Science operations and c) System Level Integration & Test

j. Indicate what level of resources would be allocated to the proposal phase of support. Discuss skills that will be provided and ideas on what level of conceptual design would be provided.

k. Identify and allocate resources for safety and mission assurance requirements.

2. Responses will be treated as proprietary information and controlled as such.

Final presentation packages must be received by 1600 EST, Sept 12, 2024. Presentations are to be delivered electronically to Eliad Peretz at the above listed email address.

Following receipt of responses, NASA/GSFC will set up teleconferences with each respondent for oral presentation and questions and answers. The timeline of these teleconferences is expected to be the 1-2 weeks after the response deadline date.

Partnership selection(s) is expected to be made 1-2 weeks after final presentations. NASA GSFC reserves the option to NOT select any teaming partners for any/all missions covered under this POD offering based on materials received.

All respondents to this POD will be offered a debrief after final selection.

NASA GSFC reserves the option to NOT select any teaming partners for this POD.

6.0 Evaluation Factors and Criteria

Selection criteria will be consistent with the desire to encourage cost effective partnerships between the Government and Industry. The information requested in Sections 2-5 will allow the evaluators to determine how well the respondents’ systems match and enable the LUVS concept.

The evaluation team will use the following factors in selection and award:

1. Technical Approach (40%): Respondents will be evaluated on their ability to meet the technical requirements given in this document and Data Package. This includes demonstrated understanding of the requirements and proposed approach to meet those requirements.
2. Relevant Experience and Past Performance (35%): Special emphasis will be given to demonstrated experience with similar space hardware missions and mission operations.
3. Cost/Schedule (25%): Respondents will be evaluated on their overall cost, Rover specific cost, resources allocated during the proposal phase, and on the reasonableness of cost and schedule estimates.

7.0 Acronyms

• AO - Announcement of Opportunity
• ATP - Authority To Proceed
• C&DH - Command and Data Handling
• CSR – Concept Study Report
• EST – Eastern Standard Time
• FoR - Field of Regard
• FoV - Field of View
• FY – Fiscal Year
• GEVS - GSFC-STD-7000, General Environmental Verification Specification
• GN - NASA’s Ground Network
• GSFC - Goddard Space Flight Center
• I&T - Integration and Test
• IMU - inertial measurement units
• kbps - Kilobits per sec
• LiDAR - Light Detection and Ranging
• LUVS - Lunar UntraViolet Spectrograph
• Mbps - Megabits per Second
• MoI - Moment of Inertia
• NDA – Non Disclosure Agreement
• NEN - Near-Earth Network
• NLT - No Later Than
• NOI - Notice of Interest
• NPR - NASA Procedural Requirement
• NRT - Near-Real-Time
• NSN - Near Space Network
• NTE - Not To Exceed
• PAD - Precision Attitude Determination
• PDF – Portable Document Format
• PDR - Preliminary Design Review
• PI - Principal Investigator
• POC – Point of Contact
• POD - Partnership Opportunity Document
• PRISM - Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon
• ROM - Rough Order of Magnitude
• RSS - Root Sum Square
• RY – Real Year
• SALSA Stand-Alone Landing Site-Agnostic
• SC - Spacecraft (bus plus science payload)
• SMD – Science Mission Directorate
• SNR- Signal To Noise
• SOC- Science Operations Center
• TBD- To Be Determined
• TBR - To Be Resolved
• TMR – Technical & Management Review
• TOD - Time of Day
• TRL - Technology Readiness Level
• USN - NASA’s Universal Space Network
• UV - Ultraviolet
• VIS - Visible
• W - Watts