Artemis I Cubesat Tracking

Description This is a Request for Information (RFI) only; neither NASA nor the Government will be responsible for any costs an organization incurs in furnishing this information. During the Artemis-I mission, ten CubeSat missions are secondary payloads on Artemis I. Once deployed each CubeSat has a specific mission: ArgoMoon , will image the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. BioSentinel will investigate the effects of deep space radiation on living organisms. It contains dry yeast cards that will be rehydrated in space, and it will detect, measure, and compare the impact of deep space radiation. CubeSat for Solar Particles (CuSP) , will orbit the Sun in interplanetary space and study its particles and magnetic fields. EQUULEUS , will image the Earth's plasmasphere, impacts on the Moon's far side, and small trajectory maneuvers near the Moon. Lunar IceCube , a lunar orbiter will use its infrared spectrometer to detect water and organic compounds in the lunar surface and exosphere. Lunar Polar Hydrogen (LunaH) Mapper , a lunar orbiter will map the hydrogen content of the entire South Pole of the moon, including within permanently shadowed regions at high resolution using its neutron detector. Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout , is a solar sail that will fly by a near-Earth asteroid. OMOTENASHI , is a lunar probe attempting to land using solid rocket motors. LunIR , will fly by the Moon and collect its surface thermography. Team Miles , will demonstrate low-thrust plasma propulsion in deep space. This RFI is to find out the existing or planned capabilities in the industry that can provide one-way doppler tracking capabilities for the CubeSats in cislunar space. NASA’s Goal Artemis I, formerly Exploration Mission-1, will be the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. It will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of a four to six-week mission. Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before. With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. The second flight will take crew on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans aboard. The SLS rocket will evolve from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons. Together, Orion, SLS, and the ground systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging crew and cargo mission needs in deep space. Future exploration missions with crew aboard Orion will assemble and dock with a Gateway. NASA and its partners will use the gateway for deep-space operations including missions to and on the Moon with decreasing reliance on the Earth. Using lunar orbit, we will gain the experience necessary to extend human exploration farther into the solar system than ever before. The goal of this RFI is to not only provide NASA with a wide range of sources with the capability to demonstrate CubeSat tracking during the Artemis-I mission, but also provide a unique opportunity for industry to engage with this groundbreaking mission. The capabilities displayed may or may not be used by NASA to consider its use to augment existing tracking measurements. Request for Information (RFI) NASA is soliciting information from interested potential sources of Artemis I CubeSat tracking data that could be provided at no cost to NASA. The key objective of this RFI is to find out the existing or planned capabilities in the industry that can provide one-way doppler tracking capabilities for the CubeSats in cislunar space. One-way Doppler measurements involve determining the Doppler shift on the CubeSats return link carrier signal as observed at the ground station. No uplink (transmit) signals are involved, only passive measurements on the received signal are needed. No ability to acquire and track telemetry data is needed. Each CubeSat mission will use the tracking information to monitor the CubeSats, command them, and collect the telemetry and mission data. Information gathered throughout this activity may or may not be used by NASA to consider its use to augment existing tracking measurements in the future. After the RFI responses are received NASA may further engage industry and provide additional information about: View period, trajectory state vector Nominal frequency assignment and Doppler profile Expected signal level(s) Modulation scheme, coding, etc. Data delivery Information Submittals Organizations interested in providing the above information should submit the information in 5 pages or less, (excluding brochures) to the email address(es) shown below by November 16, 2022. Use single space, 12-point, Times New Roman format. The following file naming convention should be used: Artemis I Tracking_RFI_company name.doc . For example, Ford would name its file Artemis I Tracking _RFI_Ford.doc . Authorized file formats include: PDF Although all submissions received will be carefully reviewed and considered for inclusion in any possible later action, NASA does not commit to adopt or include any particular recommendations in a subsequent document (e.g., a solicitation). Respondents will not be notified of the results of the review. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of potential offerors/bidders to regularly monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Response Submission Deadline Interested parties that currently possess assets that can provide measurements should respond to Dr. Ruma Das, [email protected] for more technical details concerning this activity. Responses to this RFI must be submitted to Dr. Ruma Das ( [email protected] ) and Conor Hyatt ( [email protected]) no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, on November 16, 2022. RFI submissions will be accepted as email attachments only. Point of Contact Conor Hyatt, Contract Specialist, Program Support Procurement Office ( [email protected] ) Dr. Ruma Das, Deputy Chief, Commercialization, Innovation, and Synergies (CIS) Office ( [email protected] )