NASA lays out its plan for rapid spacecraft contract on-ramp
STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images
By
Ross Wilkers
Companies interested in becoming part of the program will have 30 to 45 days to get their bids in after the solicitation goes out.
NASA is getting ready to re-open the window for companies to submit proposals for and possibly join the agency's potential $6 billion contract vehicle for spacecraft production and delivery in a more agile manner.
The space agency is eyeing August to release the final solicitation for on-ramp number three of its Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV vehicle. Proposals will then be due between 30 and 45 days after the fact, NASA said Tuesday.
Sam.gov was down for maintenance when this story was published, but the presolicitation notice to give advance word of the on-ramp is available here via GovTribe. The solicitation identifier is 80GSFC19R0016-On-Ramp-III.
NASA first awarded five companies places on the RSA IV vehicle in 2020, then added three more companies to the program in February 2022 via an on-ramp.
That was the second on-ramp process for this vehicle as the first one netted no awards, and therefore no new companies on top of the original five.
Companies involved in the program compete for delivery orders to provide spacecraft systems, related components and other related services to NASA in a faster and more agile manner, compared to other methods.
Other agencies can also place orders through the RSA vehicle that currently has these companies:
- Ball Aerospace
- Lockheed Martin
- Maxar Technologies
- Northrop Grumman
- QinetiQ
- Southwest Research Institute
- The University of Toronto’s Space Flight Laboratory
- Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems