Community Announcement: Release Status of an Earth Venture Orbital Solicitation

NASA has issued a Community Announcement, NNH26ZDA005L, to notify the scientific and industry community of an upcoming solicitation for the first Earth Venture Orbital (EVO-1) mission opportunity, with the announcement reactivated on August 1, 2026 to update participants on revised Q&As posted to the program’s homepage. This pre-solicitation notice outlines NASA’s intent to invite Principal Investigator (PI)-led, cost-capped investigations for Low Earth Orbit missions, with proposed budgets ranging from $35 million to $115 million in FY2026 dollars, excluding NASA-provided launch and engineering support. The initiative emphasizes rapid time-to-science, targeting selection within six months of proposal submission and launch within three to four years of project approval, and encourages the use of commercial products, services, and practices—including COTS technologies, commercial launch services via the VADR program, and co-flying on existing missions—to reduce cost and schedule risk. All awarded missions are required to deliver fully integrated space systems ready for launch, ensure full open access to data, algorithms, software, and documentation under NASA’s SPD-41A policy, and establish non-NASA partnerships to sustain operations beyond the mission lifecycle. While the formal solicitation is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, current guidance mandates compliance with NPR 7120.5 for project management and SPD-48 for tailored Class D mission development. Proposals may encompass a variety of mission architectures, including instruments hosted on NASA platforms, CubeSat-class observatories, or fully self-provided missions. The announcement is open to all types of organizations—including U.S. and international entities such as universities, industry, nonprofit organizations, and FFRDCs—with no setaside provisions specified. Questions and comments must be submitted via email to Michael Kaszyca and Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer with the subject line “EVO-1 CA,” and all official documentation is available on the EVO-1 Acquisition Homepage and SAM.gov. Formal evaluation factors, contract clauses, pricing structure, submission format, and acceptance criteria will be detailed in the upcoming Draft Announcement of Opportunity, which is not yet published. The final solicitation will include all necessary representations, certifications, delivery terms, and administrative data, while the current posting serves as an advanced notice to allow the community time to prepare.