Mixed-Criticality Software Abstraction Layer

The contract seeks the development of software middleware designed to abstract hardware interfaces for mixed-criticality aerospace applications, specifically targeting systems like life support and payload data management. The solution must support industry-standard communication protocols such as DDS, SOME/IP, or gRPC to ensure interoperability, determinism, and isolation between safety-critical and non-critical components. The middleware must enable reliable data exchange under stringent real-time constraints while maintaining functional safety and temporal partitioning required for mission-critical environments. The work is intended to serve as a foundational software layer that decouples application logic from underlying hardware, improving maintainability, reusability, and certification potential for NASA's next-generation space systems. This subcontract is issued by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory under the NAICS code 541512 for custom computer programming services. Responses are due by July 23, 2026, and the work must be performed in Pasadena, California, with a 91101 zip code. The project aims to deliver a robust, scalable, and certifiable software architecture capable of integrating diverse sensor, actuator, and computational platforms within a single system while enforcing strict resource and timing guarantees. There is no set-aside designation specified, and the contract is open to qualified subcontractors with demonstrated expertise in aerospace-grade middleware, real-time systems, and safety-critical software development.