Early Stage Innovations - In Situ Resource Utilization (ESI26 ISRU)
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
The solicitation for Early Stage Innovations – In Situ Resource Utilization (ESI26 ISRU), issued under solicitation number NNH26ZTR001N-26ESI_B7 by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, seeks advanced technology proposals to advance in-situ resource utilization capabilities critical to the Moon to Mars initiative. Proposals must demonstrate strong relevance to the stated technical challenges, innovation in approach, and technical feasibility, with evaluation emphasizing technical merit and responsiveness to the solicitation topic, accounting for 80% of the scoring weight, while management approach, data management plan, and budget collectively comprise the remaining 20%. Offers must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by the mandatory preliminary proposal deadline of August 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with invited full proposals due by December 16, 2026. All applicants are required to maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in SAM.gov, and proposals must comply with strict formatting requirements including dual-anonymous peer review protocols, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and a maximum file size of 20 MB for individual PDF attachments. Certain attachments such as the Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources section are capped at two pages, and the Technical and Management Plan at ten pages. The total funding range per award is between $84,000 and $1,500,000, with anticipated award dates in June 2027 and performance periods extending up to multiple years depending on the specific appendix. Proposals must include biographical sketches and statements of commitment for all key personnel, an Organizational Conflict of Interest statement, and adherence to NASA’s General Contracting and Management guidelines, including data rights and export control compliance. Required clauses incorporated by reference include FAR 52.204-23 and FAR 52.204-24, establishing prohibitions on Kaspersky Lab products and representations regarding telecommunications and surveillance equipment. Award recipients must comply with 2 CFR 200 for administrative, financial, and audit requirements, and must complete NASA-specific certifications via NSPIRES. No traditional contract line items are specified, and the funding vehicle is likely a grant or cooperative agreement, not a procurement contract. Physical delivery, FOB terms, packaging requirements, or invoice methods are not applicable under this announcement; acceptance is administrative, finalized via NASA Form 16
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