Op-ed | Mind the gap in low Earth orbitQuoteNASA’s desire to continuously fly two crew members in LEO and perform 200 investigations per year is a good start.
NASA’s desire to continuously fly two crew members in LEO and perform 200 investigations per year is a good start.
Another batch of Q&As arising from the CLD pre-proposal conference have been posted by NASA.The document also includes the original 12 Q&As posted earlier.https://sam.gov/opp/b200e7043b6047d8bd9ebc6aed54b2cd/view(copy attached)
59. QUESTION: In our commercialization programs with NASA, NASA likes to control what we do. NASA says it has first right of refusal, playing both sides. Do you plan to control CLD like you do on other “commercial” programs?
Quote from: su27k on 06/29/2021 04:25 amOp-ed | Mind the gap in low Earth orbitQuoteNASA’s desire to continuously fly two crew members in LEO and perform 200 investigations per year is a good start.How is that a good start? Dragon alone can guarantee several times more than that, and Dragon + Soyuz well past that.The low expectations of NASA human spaceflight programs were bothersome years ago. Now they are outright offensive.
10. QUESTION: Does NASA have a requirement for “anytime return” from the CLD, necessitating an emergency escape vehicle capable of supporting everyone on board be docked at all times?ANSWER: NASA has no requirements during Phase 1. At this time, NASA intends to require our crew to be transported on NASA certified crew transportation systems during Phase 2. The requirements for that certification includes emergency return capability, and therefore, there is no separate CLD requirement for emergency escape.25. QUESTION: Is the transition ISS is off one day, CLD is on the next?ANSWER: Assume a two-year transition.35. QUESTION: Is there a safety concern with inflatable? Does BEAM need MMOD upgrade? ANSWER: We don’t have a specific safety concern with inflatables. Our evaluation will depend upon your proposed design.37. QUESTION: What is the timing for the phase 2 competition? ANSWER: Industry can expect to hear about it about 12 months before contract start date. For purposes of the proposal, participants shall assume Phase 2 service contract award at the beginning of FY26.56. QUESTION: Will NASA start buying services in FY29? When will payments start? ANSWER: Yes, assume some services to NASA will begin in FY29. We don’t know when payments would start, but document your assumptions in your Phase 1 proposal. You might consider the schedule of progress payments in launch contracts.76. QUESTION: Will Appendix I contractor [i.e., Axiom] be eligible for additional funding under this. ANSWER: The NextStep Appendix I contractor is not precluded from proposing on CLD Phase 1. As stated in the draft Announcement, NASA will not pay any CLD participant for work that is within the scope of another U.S. Government contract or agreement.
Charts for the "CLD Virtual Pre-Proposal Conference" have been posted today on SAM.gov.Link: https://sam.gov/opp/569b413526eb498eb22de16f5ebf1dc3/viewA copy is attached (51 pages). A schedule was included on page 17.
Quote from: AnalogMan on 05/26/2021 12:17 amCharts for the "CLD Virtual Pre-Proposal Conference" have been posted today on SAM.gov.Link: https://sam.gov/opp/569b413526eb498eb22de16f5ebf1dc3/viewA copy is attached (51 pages). A schedule was included on page 17.Note that "Announcement for Proposals Released" didn't happen in June 2021
Competition Schedule • On or about July 9 - Final Announcement Release • 45 days later - Proposals Due
NASA just released the final announcement soliciting proposals for phase I of the Commercial LEO Destinations project. Proposals due August 26.
Why invest in free flyers? It seems like it would be more effective to help develop commercial "wings" of the ISS itself. For example we could have the Axiom wing, the Sierra wing and Blue Origin wing.
NASA wants to send actual crew to these destinations so they need to be extremely safe and reliable; so safe that they wouldn't pose a risk even if attached directly to the ISS.
Sounds like NASA has received about 12 proposals.https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/20/nasa-evaluating-private-space-station-proposals-for-iss-replacement.html
NASA is now evaluating the proposals, and McAlister said the agency hopes to announce the contract winners “before the end of the year,” although he is “pushing for earlier.” McAlister noted that the dozen or so proposals came from a “diverse group of companies,” ranging from start-ups to large aerospace corporations.
