PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY DOCUMENT FOR THE NASA/GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE ULTRAVIOLET COUNTERPART IMAGER

Partnership Opportunity Document (POD) for the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Gravitational-wave Ultraviolet Counterpart Imager (GUCI)++ CubeSat Spacecraft and On-Orbit Support dated April 2019 1.0 Introduction/Scope This proposal opportunity is in response to the draft NASA's Announcement of Opportunity (AO), NNH19ZDA004J, which was released November 6, 2018. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is developing a mission concept to be proposed for this AO. This partnership opportunity document (POD) is issued to select a teaming partner to provide up to two 12U cubesat spacecraft buses. The proposed mission is currently in pre-Phase A. If the proposal is down-selected, the next step in the proposal process is a mission concept study culminating in a Concept Study Report (CSR), which is the Step 2 proposal, and a Site Visit. The following schedule should be used as a basis for responses to this opportunity: Proposal in Response to POD: April 23, 2019 AO Release Date April 3, 2019 Preproposal Conference 3 weeks after AO release Notice of Intent to Propose Deadline May 15, 2019 Electronic Proposal Submittal Deadline August 1, 2019 Letters of Commitment Due (with Proposal) August 1, 2019 Step-1 Selections Announced Q1 CY 2020 (target) Initiate Phase A Concept Studies Q1 CY 2020 (target) Phase A Concept Study Reports Due Fall 2020 (target) Down-selection of Investigation for Flight Summer 2021 (target) Spacecraft start date Vendor specified Instrument Delivery for I&T 36 months after down-select (Summer 2024) Launch Readiness Date Rideshare dependent, NLT May 2025 1.1 Cost Total cost and cost fidelity are important issues for the proposal. The cost cap for this proposed mission is $35M (FY2020), not including an AO-provided launch vehicle. This cost includes the instruments, spacecraft, instrument to spacecraft integration support, environmental testing, launch site operations, mission and science operations for a minimum of 1 years (goal - 2 years), and data archiving, as well as required contingency (>25%). The Phase A mission concept study (Step 2 down-selection) has a total cost cap of $500k for all partners. There will be no exchange of funds between the teaming partners for the portion of this partnership opportunity dealing with the preparation of the initial submission (Pre-Phase A, Step 1 proposal). Funding will be available for subsequent phases should the candidate mission concept be competitively selected for those additional phases. 1.2 Desired Mission Services GSFC is interested in selecting a partner to provide up to two 12U cubesat spacecraft buses and observatory Integration and Testing through launch and mission commissioning. GSFC may also be interested in having the partner provide mission operations using the partner's existing facilities. All interested parties are required to respond to this POD in accordance with Section 5 below. Mission Operations costs are to be listed separately in the proposal. 1.3 Proposal Support It is expected that the selected POD respondent will provide support using their own resources to help develop the required Mission of Opportunity (MoO) proposal elements in response to the Step 1 Pre-Phase A NASA MO AO in the area of the spacecraft bus. If the proposal is down-selected for a Phase A Mission Concept Study, this will consist of a nine-month concept study phase culminating in a Mission Concept Study Report (CSR) (Step 2 proposal) and on-site support of a Site Visit. Partial funding will be provided to the partner for this Phase A mission concept study support, Mission CSR, and Site Visit. If the mission is selected for implementation (Phases B-F), the partner will be responsible for the design and development of the spacecraft bus(es) and observatory integration and test. The instrument module will be provided as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). Respondents to this POD shall state the timeframe that their services will be available and the extent that the respondent can meet the timeline requirements set forth in the AO. 2.0 Mission Overview Science: The Gravitational-wave Ultraviolet Counterpart Imager (GUCI++) is a mission concept for a network of wide-field telescopes with the primary objective of promptly discovering and characterizing the UV emission from neutron star binary mergers. GUCI++ Notional Spacecraft Concept: The GUCI++ concept employs a network of identical 12U cubesat spacecraft buses , each with a (nearly) identical wide-field UV telescope. One potential realization of the concept is shown in Figure 1. Each spacecraft will operate independently (i.e., no formation flying or communication between spacecraft). Instrument: Each GUCI++ spacecraft will have a single instrument: a wide-field (50 square degrees) UV telescope. The instruments will be nearly identical, with the sole distinction being a different (fixed) bandpass filter for each telescope. Notional GUCI++ Payload Assembly: The wide-field UV telescope will integrate into the spacecraft as a single package, including the optics, a telescope structure, a CCD camera, a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), and a deployable straylight baffle (all connected Figure 1: Notional GUCI++ 12U cubesat spacecraft concept, including the wide-field UV telescope, a deployable straylight baffle, and internal spacecraft components. via an optical bench). The total payload volume is estimated to be 2522.0 cm3. The estimated mass of the payload (including all elements) is 12.9 kg, and the peak power required is 23.1 W. The CCD must maintain a temperature of -75 C (desired temperature of -100 C). In order to dissipate the TEC heat load of 9 W, we estimate a 300 cm2 of area for a radiator facing deep space. The instrument payload is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: The GUCI++ instrument payload assembly, with the baffle deployed (left) and stowed (right). Integration and Testing: Integration and test of GUCI++'s instrument assembly will be done at Goddard. The fully integrated instrument will be delivered to the spacecraft bus vendor for integration with the bus and final environmental testing. Final satellite testing is currently planned to be performed at the spacecraft vendor unless vendor chooses/proposes to use GSFC facilities. GSFC will provide instrument support throughout observatory verification. Mission Operations: The Mission Operations Center (MOC) is preferred to be at the spacecraft vendor (with Science Operations and Data Analysis performed at GSFC). As noted in Section 1.2, GSFC may be interested in having the partner provide mission operations using the partner's existing facilities, if the respondent can show significant cost savings by doing so. Therefore, we encourage the respondent to provide this as an option in their proposal, including an impact assessment (and any delta capabilities) so that an evaluation can be made. Operating Modes: We envision two primary modes of operation for each GUCI++ satellite. These modes are illustrated in Appendix A. In "Survey" mode, the Spacecraft will execute a series of pre-planned inertial-pointed slews and stares with the observational goal to discovery new transients and variable sources. The boresight of the instrument will be inertially fixed on the fields of interest until either obscured by the earth, sun, or moon or commanded to another target. To maintain spacecraft attitude and power capabilities, the spacecraft will execute planned roll about the target axis as necessary provided a minimum of ten minutes (TBR) of continuous observations can be completed between rotations. Survey mode will only conduct these science observations while in Earth shadow. On the bright side of the Earth, the satellites will charge their solar panels and (when possible) conduct routine science communications through the Near-Earth-Network (NEN). In "target of opportunity (ToO)" mode, a trigger generated by gravitational wave (GW) detectors on Earth will be promptly (< 1 hour) uplinked to each satellite. The satellites will (if necessary) interrupt ongoing science observations and as soon as possible (and within no more than 1 hour) orient themselves to the GW localization, even if on the bright side of the Earth at the time. Observations of this GW localization will continue every orbit for the following 12-24 hours. Data downlink will occur on an as possible basis (i.e., while not observing the GW localization). After this time, the satellites will return to "survey" mode. Routinely scheduled communications with the GUCI++ satellites using NASA's Near Earth Network are expected without impacting the state of current science operations. Using routinely scheduled NEN passes, we require a latency of less than 6 hours between subsequent ground station passes (on average). Prompt GW localizations should be uploaded to the spacecraft within 1 hour of receipt. Cost: Total mission cost cap (spacecraft bus plus instruments, plus Phase E operations and Phase F data archiving) is expected to be <= $35M (FY20$). Cost of up to two spacecraft buses will be an important selection criterion. GUCI++ Spacecraft Requirements The requirements listed below are to be considered conceptual and approximate at this time. A number of options between the science return and the basic design parameters of both the instruments and the spacecraft are being explored. The responder is encouraged to bring their own mission-enabling ideas, e.g., thermal radiator panel architecture, instrument interface assembly, and cost/schedule drivers. 1. General Requirements a. The GUCCI++ mission risk classification is Class D, as per NPR 8705.4, Risk Classification for NASA Payloads. Safety, reliability, and mission assurance requirements for 2019 Astrophysics Explorers Mission of Opportunity investigations will be consistent with the Explorers Program Mission Assurance Requirements (MAR) NPR 7120.5 Class D EXP-RQMT-0003 Revision B. b. Since potential spacecraft providers may or may not have adequate facilities for observatory integration and test (I&T), the location and methodology for I&T should be described in the response. GSFC possesses this capability in its existing Space Environment simulation facilities. Should provider choose to use this capability, GSFC's I&T facilities may be used as a basis for a potential provider's response. c. All systems proposed shall have a path to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 by the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). 2. Launch Service Constraints a. The GUCI++ payload will be launched as a secondary payload in a packaged group of multiple cubesats deployed from a single EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring port. The ESPA Rideshare User's Guide (https://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/HPSMEX/SMEX/pdf_files/EELV-RideshareUsersGuide-v1-Signed6.pdf) provides additional information. b. Each individual satellite, in its launch configuration, shall fit within the volume specifications defined by the Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC) 12U payload specification. c. The GUCI++ payload shall be capable of launching unpowered, and we require a storage survivability period of 6 months to accommodate potential launch delays. d. The proposed spacecraft should assume the appropriate margins given the maturity of the components and should have an overall mass margin of 25% to 30% at this phase of the design. Including the instrument payload assembly, each 12U spacecraft shall have a maximum mass of 24 kg. 3. Mission Orbit, Lifetime, and End-of-Mission Disposal a. Up to two GUCI++ spacecrafts shall support a 1-year nominal mission. GUCI++ spacecrafts shall have a goal of supporting an additional 1-year extended (2 years total) mission. No expendables shall preclude the additional 1-year extended mission. b. The GUCI++ mission shall be capable of operating over the mission lifetime in a low earth orbit (400-650 km) at an inclination less than or equal to that of the International Space Station (ISS). The notional mission concept assumed a 500 km circular orbit @ 51.6 degrees. c. The mission orbit altitude shall be selected to NTE the 25-year total orbital lifetime requirement per NPR 8715.6, NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris. d. To minimize cost, the spacecraft shall demise naturally (in lieu of a controlled reentry system). Per NPR 8715.6, NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris, the spacecraft shall be designed such that the risk of human casualty assuming an uncontrolled reentry shall not exceed 0.0001 (1:10,000) with an allowance of 1.0 m2 of Debris Casualty Area for the instrument hardware. The risk of human casualty is determined by methods defined in NASA-STD-8719.14. 4. Instrument Accommodation Requirements a. Each spacecraft must accommodate the GUCI++ Instrument payload Assembly (wide-field telescope, CCD camera, TEC, and deployable baffle assembly) - see Figure 1. The payload dimensions are shown in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3: Instrument payload assembly dimensions Figure 4: Instrument payload assembly dimensions b. The overall instrument allocations as well as the individual contributions are identified in Table 1 below. The mass and power allocations are inclusive of payload margin (MEV). Table 1: GUCI++ Instrument Allocation Requirements Payload Item Mass (kg) Peak Power (W) Orbit-Averaged Power (W) Instrument Payload Assembly 10.3 19.1 14.1 Reserve (25%) 2.6 4.8 3.5 Accommodation Summary 12.9 23.9 17.6 c. In order to maintain the CCD detector at a constant temperature of -75 C (goal: -100 C), the spacecraft shall reserve at least 300 cm2 of panel area for a radiator facing deep space. d. Each Spacecraft shall maintain static and dynamic clearances to the respective instrument envelopes and accommodate the instrument operational, calibration, and thermal field-of-views. e. Each spacecraft shall provide a command/data interface capable of simultaneously sending commands to instrument electronics boards and receiving housekeeping data and mission science data from these boards. The instrument power board requires a 5V input from the spacecraft. The spacecraft shall provide an interface to the instrument capable of supporting a data transfer rate of at least 1 Mbps. f. Each Spacecraft shall maintain on-board absolute correlation of Spacecraft time to within +/- 1 millisecond of UTC. The spacecraft shall distribute to the instrument Main Electronics Box (MEB) a 1 Hz Time-of-Day (TOD) pulse. 5. Spacecraft Attitude Control Requirements a. The GUCI++ mission requires a 3-axis stabilized platform during the science data collection mode of operation. Table 2: Desired GUCI++ ACS Requirements ACS requirement Precision Science Mode Knowledge (Resolution) +/- 6 arc-minutes (3?) Accuracy (Control) +/- 6 arc-minutes (3?) Stability (peak-to-peak/second) +/- 12 arc-seconds (1?) / 90 sec b. Nominal observing constraints (Stay-out zones) are expected (i.e. 30 for Earth limb, 45 for Sun, 20 for moon), but the GUCI++ telescope can be pointed directly toward Earth/Moon for short periods of time without damage (pointing at the Sun would damage the instrument). c. Each Spacecraft shall be capable of maintaining attitude knowledge, control and jitter at/below the values specified in the Table 2. d. Each Spacecraft shall be capable of slewing to acquire any new inertial attitude (immediately accessible to the spacecraft) within 5 minutes. e. In Safe-Hold mode, the spacecraft shall control pointing to preclude pointing of the telescope toward the sun. 6. Mission Communications Requirements a. Each satellite shall use two paths for space-ground communications: a direct ground path for command and telemetry, and an alternate path via cellular networks such as Globstar and Iridium, for prompt uplink of GW localizations. A possible functional block diagram is shown in Figure 5. b. Each spacecraft shall be compatible with the NASA Near earth Network (NEN). Figure 5: Nominal mission communication links for GUCI++ c. Each spacecraft shall be capable of receiving a command uplink to interrupt Survey Mode operations (i.e., a Gravitational Wave target of opportunity trigger) within 1 hour of command generation. d. The average time between data downlink via ground station passes shall be less than 6 hours. This could include both NEN and/or commercial station passes. e. When within the line-of-sight to a NEN station, the spacecraft shall be able to receive commands, uplink telemetry, and downlink science data to the ground. A solution where this can be done independent of satellite orientation is preferred (but not required). f. Each Spacecraft shall be capable of acquiring, storing, and transmitting to the ground without loss up to a minimum of 48 hours of instrument science and satellite housekeeping data at the maximum orbital average data rates. This translates to a minimum storage of approximately 20 Gb. g. All NEN links shall maintain a 0 dB end-of-life margin with a physical BER of 10-5. For NEN network coverage, the Spacecraft shall assume Wallops, White Sands, Hawai'i, and Australia for nominal communications. 3.0 Pre-selection Support 3.1 Initial Proposal Support SOW: It is expected that the selected respondent will provide support using their own resources to help develop and write the Mission concept proposal in response to the AO in the area of the spacecraft. This will involve meeting with the relevant scientists and the overall mission engineering team in order to: (1) help define the end-to-end performance requirements, including interfaces to the instrument module; (2) define the flight system architecture; (3) help define the concept of operations; (4) identify trade studies; and (5) predict performance, quantify risks, and provide information on heritage and TRL levels of systems proposed. This will include cost estimation for all mission phases. The period of performance for this interval is expected to last from partner selection until the submission of the initial proposal. 3.2 Phase A Study and Phase A Proposal Support SOW: If the mission is selected for a Phase A study, the proposal team will receive funds to conduct a Phase A study and submit a detailed CSR to NASA. The selected partner will be allocated a portion of this funding to assist in completing the CSR. The respondent will also be expected to contribute to designing, documenting, and costing the spacecraft for inclusion in the final CSR (as specified in the AO). The period of performance for this interval is listed above. 3.3 POD Response Instructions for Pre-Selection Support The respondent shall: 1. Demonstrate understanding and flight experience in the design, fabrication, integration and testing of spacecraft: a. Identify assumed mission and system requirements for the spacecraft and a response to addressing those requirements, b. Highlight particularly critical or challenging areas for the design of the spacecraft, c. Provide a technical summary/description of the proposed spacecraft bus including relevant heritage, d. Describe what types of capabilities and cost benefits the spacecraft provides for the intended mission. 2. Provide any recommended potential study topics related to the spacecraft. 3. Indicate what level of resources would be allocated to the proposal phase of support. a. Discuss skills that will be provided, ideas on what level of conceptual design and important analysis and trade studies that might be needed. 4. Identify the pertinent missions for which the respondent has provided support for proposal writing in the area of spacecraft design, fabrication, integration and testing: a. Provide data on scope of each spacecraft design, the role played in the proposal process, and the portions of the proposal written or provided assistance in writing, and provide a customer reference POC. 5. Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate and schedule for the design, fabrication, and testing of up to two spacecraft; integration of the GFE instrument module to each spacecraft; observatory environmental testing; and (optionally) mission operations. The respondent may also provide a separate ROM for environmental testing at GSFC if it is deemed a better value for the Government. These ROM estimates will not be considered binding commitments but will serve as an important consideration during the response evaluation. Justification of the ROM is required; include previous cost and schedule performance with data (estimated cost & schedule vs actual). 4.0 Development Support SOW: At the end of Phase A another down-select occurs. If the mission is selected for development and launch, the respondent will be responsible for the design, development, and test of each spacecraft or proposed subsystem. The respondent is responsible for identifying the spacecraft requirements and providing all aspects of each spacecraft (either directly, or through purchasing or teaming arrangements). The period of performance for this interval is expected to follow the timeline noted in 1.0; however, the respondent is encouraged to develop a schedule for completing each spacecraft bus that provides the best value to the government. 4.1 POD Response Instructions for Development Support The respondent shall: 1. Provide a description of the recommended spacecraft to meet the mission overview described in section 2.0 2. Identify which missions they have successfully supported as spacecraft provider and provide a customer reference POC. a. Provide information on recent similar spacecraft designed and delivered, and how that experience is applicable to the mission. Basic information on scope of work, and how well the fielded spacecraft met the requirements (cost and technical, and how well they met the proposed schedules). 3. Identify available design and modeling capabilities required to support development of the spacecraft. 4. Identify fabrication and testing facilities that will be required to support development and test of each spacecraft. 5. Identify mission operations capabilities available to support post-launch objectives 5.0 POD Response Instructions, Format, and Selection Criteria The response to this partnership opportunity is limited to 15 pages in not less than 12-point font. Excluded from the page count are the cover letter, title pages, table of contents, and acronym list. Partners may attach additional appendices that further describe their capabilities, although GSFC is under no obligation to include the contents of such appendices in the evaluation of the offer package. The entire offer package, including any cover letter, title pages, and other supporting material, shall be formatted as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file delivered to the E-mail address below. Responses to the Partnership Opportunity Document (POD) shall address all requirements noted in Sections 3.0 through 5.0 of this document. For purposes of this partnership opportunity, the point of contact is: Emily Wilson (emily.l.wilson@nasa.gov, 301-614-6730). The backup contact is: Neil Martin (neil.f.martin@nasa.gov, 301-286-6989). Responses will be treated as proprietary information and controlled as such by GSFC for the US Government. Partnership Selection is expected to be made by April 26, 2019. 6.0 Evaluation Factors and Criteria The evaluation team will use the following factors in selection and award: 1. Technical Approach (30%). Respondents will be evaluated on their ability to meet the technical requirements given in Section 2, 3, and 4. This includes demonstrated understanding of the payload and missions requirements, proposed approach to meet those requirements, technical maturity and heritage of the spacecraft elements and system, and the vendor's approach for supporting the overall proposal effort. 2. Cost (45%). Respondents will be evaluated on their overall cost, on the credibility of the cost and schedule estimates, and consistency between the vendor approach and that for a Class D mission. 3. Relevant Experience and Past Performance (25%). Special emphasis will be given to demonstrated experience with similar missions, particularly with regards to instrument accommodations, spacecraft attitude control requirements, and mission communication requirements. This includes technical and programmatic performance for those previous similar missions. 7.0 Acronyms ACS Attitude Control System AO Announcement of Opportunity BER Bit Error Rate CCD Charge-Coupled Device CSR Concept Study Report EELV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle GFE Government Furnished Equipment GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center I & T Integration & Test MEV Maximum Expected Value MoO Mission of Opportunity NOI Notice of Interest PDF Portable Document Format PI Principal Investigator POC Point of Contact POD Partnership Opportunity Document ROM Rough Order of Magnitude SOW Statement of Work TBR To Be Resolved TEC Thermo-Electric Cooler TRL Technology Readiness Level UV Ultra-Violet Appendix A GUCI++ modes of operation. After commissioning, the primary modes of operation will be a science "survey" (regular observations of pre-defined fields, only conducted while in Earth shadow) and "ToO" (immediate interrupt to observe uplinked fields for 12-24 hours) mode.