Mars Exploration Program, Commercial Services Guiding Principles and Design Reference Missions for Industry Input

The purpose of the amendment is to accommodate requests for one-on-one meetings with interested participants as well as to give people additional time to respond to the questionnaire. With that in mind the deadline for responses to the questionnaire has been extended to COB Monday, October 16, 2023.

As part of the Mars Exploration Program’s ongoing industry engagement efforts NASA is seeking input from commercial partners on draft commercial services guiding principles and design reference mission (DRM) concepts that forthcoming industry partnership studies will assess. These DRMS can be found here: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/industry-engagement/phase-1/.

For a vibrant and robust future Mars Exploration Program, industry and the government need to partner. Your feedback is very much encouraged. Your response to the DRM questionnaire is requested by Monday, October 12, 2023, but is entirely optional. We will also host a telecon on October 5, 2023, at 1:00 pm ET at which you are welcome to ask questions or provide feedback directly. Join the meeting here:  https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTVlNTRmOWQtMjJhOS00NzY0LTk3MzAtZmU2M2VhNDU4OGYw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%227005d458-45be-48ae-8140-d43da96dd17b%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%228a9b6253-b1cc-42d6-a23d-b2310cfee60e%22%7d. 

We are continuing to develop a request for proposals for funded studies on potential Mars commercial services. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

In advance, we much appreciate your excellent questions and feedback towards helping us together create the future.

Summaries of the four DRMs for your review are outlined below:

1.  Smaller Payload(s) Delivery and Hosting Services: Every other Mars launch opportunity (~ every 52 months, alternating with DRM 2 opportunities), provide, deliver, and operate a bus/platform that hosts MEP-provided payload(s) in low-Mars polar orbit.

2.  Larger Payload(s) Delivery and Hosting Services:  Every other Mars launch opportunity (~ every 52 months, alternating with DRM 1 opportunities), carry and deliver one or more separable MEP-provided spacecraft to low-Mars polar orbit.

3.  Imaging Services: Provide sensors + spacecraft platform; assume MEP funding for 2 Mars Years (~4 Earth Years) of imaging services.

4. Next-Generation Relay Services: Provide high-volume data relay from Mars to Earth; assume MEP funding for 2 Mars Years (~4 Earth Years).  

MEP is also interested in potential approaches that could simultaneously address more than one of these DRMs.  As an example, a commercial carrier spacecraft might deliver one or more MEP (and potentially other customer) spacecraft to Mars orbit, and then continue operation as a Mars telecommunication and PNT service provider or as an imaging service provider.

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to discussing this exciting potential opportunity.

INSTRUCTIONS TO PARTICIPANTS: In order to develop industry studies that meet commercial partner capabilities and interests your feedback is encouraged via the DRM summary at the following link: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/industry-engagement/phase-1/ no later than (NLT) October 16, 2023, at 5:00 pm, EDT. Please send your feedback to Richard Davis at Richard.m.davis@nasa.gov.