The launch RFP was published today. Bids due early next month. Looks like it would probably be around two RTLS flights on a Falcon 9? Not an NSSL contract, so that opens up the bidding possibilities.
Quote from: gongora on 10/07/2020 12:58 amThe launch RFP was published today. Bids due early next month. Looks like it would probably be around two RTLS flights on a Falcon 9? Not an NSSL contract, so that opens up the bidding possibilities.I am very surprised the tracking sats have such large differences in mass, one of the manufacturers has a solution three times lighter than the other.
Quote from: gosnold on 10/10/2020 05:56 pmQuote from: gongora on 10/07/2020 12:58 amThe launch RFP was published today. Bids due early next month. Looks like it would probably be around two RTLS flights on a Falcon 9? Not an NSSL contract, so that opens up the bidding possibilities.I am very surprised the tracking sats have such large differences in mass, one of the manufacturers has a solution three times lighter than the other.I'm waiting for the first round of questions/edits on the documentation. It says all of those sats are ESPA class, and I'm hoping the dimensions for the bigger sat in attachment 4 are actually given in mm instead of cm.https://beta.sam.gov/opp/95a8c11c0a9440e2a1ac8d7e3a9317c5/view
[Space News] Telesat wins DARPA contract to manufacture satellite buses for Blackjack programInteresting. Telesat gets $18.3M to produce two satellites for DARPA using a derivative of the OneWeb bus supplied by Airbus. Each of the satellites will have two optical inter-satellite links that are supplied by two different vendors. Options for up to 18 more satellites.
They released another round of updates on the Tranche 0 Launch RFP. The updates include diagrams with the sizes and stacking methods for the various payloads. The SpaceX sats really are that big, 4.3 x 3 x 1m, 1 ton each, and they stack flat on top of the ESPA ring like giant Starlinks. (I'm trying to figure out if I should interpret that as having a body of 3.6 x 2.4 x 1m with bits sticking off the sides.) It looks like the launches will require 5 meter payload fairings just to fit those SpaceX sats. While only boxes for the payload sizes are shown for three of the satelllite designs, there is a more detailed drawing of the L3Harris tracking sats.
Airbus and Raytheon have filed protests with the Government Accountability Office challenging Space Development Agency contracts awarded to L3Harris and SpaceX. ... Airbus U.S. Space and Defense filed its protest Oct. 28. Raytheon’s protest was filed Nov. 3. The Government Accountability Office has until February 11, 2021 to issue a decision.
Both Airbus and Raytheon on Oct. 28 and Nov. 3, respectively, filed protests with the Government Accountability Office challenging the Space Development Agency’s Oct. 5 contract awards to L3Harris and SpaceX. In order to resolve the protests, the Space Development Agency offered to to re-evaluate contractor bids.After the agency agreed to this corrective action, the Government Accountability Office dismissed both Airbus’ and Raytheon’s protests Nov. 30. But the Space Development Agency has not been able to start the re-evaluation of proposals because Raytheon filed another protest on Nov. 30 challenging the agency’s corrective action. A spokesperson said the SDA could not comment on the nature of the protest.
Quote from: Targeteer on 01/04/2021 09:29 pmLockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $4,934,360,150 undefinitized modification (P00034) to contract FA8810-18-C-0005 which consists of all work associated with the manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, and delivery of three Next Generation Geosynchronous (NGG) Earth orbiting space vehicles (SV), and delivery of ground mission unique software and ground sensor processing software. Additionally, this modification includes engineering support for launch vehicle integration and launch and early on-orbit checkout for all three NGG SVs. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2028. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $99,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8810-18-C-0005).OPIR GEO
Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $4,934,360,150 undefinitized modification (P00034) to contract FA8810-18-C-0005 which consists of all work associated with the manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, and delivery of three Next Generation Geosynchronous (NGG) Earth orbiting space vehicles (SV), and delivery of ground mission unique software and ground sensor processing software. Additionally, this modification includes engineering support for launch vehicle integration and launch and early on-orbit checkout for all three NGG SVs. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2028. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $99,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8810-18-C-0005).
SDA statement: “The reevaluation confirmed the original selection decision that the SpaceX and L3Harris Technologies' proposals offered the best value to the government.”
Derek Tournear, Space Dev. Agency, on today's Defense One webinar, says SDA expects most of its constellation of hundreds of sats will be ~250kg, but that cost is more important than size. SpaceX's SDA sats are ~1,000kg, based on expanded Starlink design. L3Harris is ~250kg.
https://twitter.com/CHenry_QA/status/1354494406850736133QuoteDerek Tournear, Space Dev. Agency, on today's Defense One webinar, says SDA expects most of its constellation of hundreds of sats will be ~250kg, but that cost is more important than size. SpaceX's SDA sats are ~1,000kg, based on expanded Starlink design. L3Harris is ~250kg.
