POST-MANUEVER ORBIT DETERMINATION USING PLUME ANALYSIS

**BAA-RVKY-2014-0001 IS NOT THE CORRECT SOLICIATION NUMBER FOR THIS NOTICE. Please see the corrected Notice re-posted under Solicitation BAA-RVKV-2014-0001.** RFI-AFRL-RVBY-FY15-02 POST-MANUEVER ORBIT DETERMINATION USING PLUME ANALYSIS THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY (RFI) as defined in FAR 15.201(e), Exchanges with Industry before receipt of Proposals, and is issued solely for market research information or capabilities for planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation for offers. This RFI is not a request for proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI and will not be paid for the information submitted. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked PROPRIETARY will be handled accordingly. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Proprietary information or trade secrets should be clearly identified and portion marked. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. The Air Force will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative as a result of this RFI. Responses to the RFI will become Government property and will not be returned. The Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents. The Government reserves the right to use respondent information for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Foreign firms are advised that they will NOT be allowed to participate under ITAR rules; please contact the Contracting Officer for conditions and restrictions. 1. CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS AND POINTS OF CONTACT (POC) Address AFRL Det 8/RVKVB 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Bldg 570 Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776 Contracting POC Contracting Officer: Ms. Victoria E. Baca, AFRL/RVKVB Phone Number: 505-846-0946 Email: victoria.baca@us.af.mil Contract Specialist: Ms. Rhonda Long, AFRL/RVKVB Phone Number: 505-846-0938 Email: rhonda.long.1@us.af.mil Technical POC Program Manager: Ms. Jaime Stearns, AFRL/RVBYC Phone: 505-846-6998 Email: jaime.stearns.1@us.af.mil 2. DESCRIPTION The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicles Directorate, Battlespace Surveillance Innovation Branch (RVBY), Kirtland AFB, NM is seeking information to support its research and development (R&D) mission to characterize real-time post-maneuver orbit determination (OD) of resident space objects. The AFRL Detect, Track, ID and Characterize (DTIC) program, seeks to advance its capability by performing cross-disciplinary research and development to integrate models, data and tools across the LEO, GEO and MEO belts to meet Air Force needs through partnerships with industry. The DTIC portfolio is comprised of staff with expertise in the areas of estimation & detection theory, physics & chemistry of spacecraft observables including remote sensing techniques to measure these observables, and signal/image processing of sensor data. Among other things, a major ongoing effort in the program is the development of new sensor concepts for Space Situational Awareness (SSA). 3. OVERVIEW OF INTEREST A development effort is being considered to create an engine exhaust plume analysis tool for rapid post-maneuver orbit determination for mono- and bi-propellant (e.g. hydrazine-based) engines and electric propulsion systems as well as obtaining delta-v with as little a priori knowledge of the thruster as possible. The desired model will fuse sensor configuration parameters, pre-maneuver state vectors and associated covariance, and plume imagery acquired throughout the maneuver to rapidly determine the post-maneuver state vector. The desired capability must incorporate these parameters as well as the mono- and bi-propellant capabilities to advance the state of the art. Technical responses are expected to demonstrate a detailed understanding of on-orbit propulsion systems, the physics and chemistry of thruster plumes, the interactions with the space environment giving rise to optical signatures spanning the near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared, and the capability to fuse this information to determine the post-maneuver orbit. The initial focus of this work is deep-space insertion burns, where observable phenomena are expected to include solar scatter off of plume condensates and solar-induced emission. Models of the time evolution of the plume will include the underlying physics of condensation, excitation, and scatter, to the extent they are currently known or estimated. The anticipated effort will include solid rocket motors and cryogenic bi-propellants with high fidelity descriptions of the plumes and incorporate ongoing AFRL laboratory measurements of these phenomena. New models for hydrazine-based mono- and bi-propellant engines will be developed. All plume models will be incorporated into algorithms to determine the full 3D post-maneuver orbit, with an emphasis on rapid, efficient processing, and developing novel methods which do not require a priori knowledge of the thruster. A scene simulation tool will be required to generate synthetic plume imagery for model evaluation and to develop an understanding of sensor requirements to observe these phenomena. Field data will provide additional validation when available. Subsequent tasks are expected to include extensions to electric propulsion and smaller engines, of the types already described, used in station-keeping. Interested parties will need the capability to perform across the entire technical area. Respondents may provide a Statement of Capabilities (SOC) to meet all items in the technical area. 4. REQUESTED RESPONSE, FORMAT, & SUBMISSION Interested businesses are requested to submit a SOC no later than 27 January 2015 at 1200 p.m. (NOON); Mountain Standard Time (MST). For each Technical Area of interest, please provide sufficient written information to indicate capacity and any other specific and pertinent information that will enhance this effort. Each submission must address items 1-8 listed below. - 1. Company Name and Mailing Address. - 2. CAGE Code and DUNS Number. - 3. Respondent's technical and administrative POC, title, telephone number, and e-mail address. - 4. Business Size Status (i.e. 8(a), HUBZone, woman-owned, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned, Small business, Large Business, Historically Black College/University). Also, indicate if entity is minority-serving institutions of higher education that meet the definition of "Covered Institution" as defined in 10 USC 2362 Covered Educational Institution is (1) an institution of higher education eligible for assistance under title III or IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1501 et seq); or (2) an accredited postsecondary minority institution.) - 5. If respondent's interest is in subcontracting possibilities, please indicate this clearly. - 6. DCAA-Approved accounting system in place to adequately track and accumulate expenditures. - 7. Relevant experience in the past five years in the technical areas of interest. - 8. Availability of an adequate number of qualified personnel to support the effort. Submit SOC (original plus 2 copies) for Orbit Determination Software Tool to AFRL Det 8/RVKVB, Attn: Ms. Victoria E. Baca, 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Bldg 570, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776. The SOC is limited to 15 pages, single-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, excluding resumes. Resumes of key personnel who might be assigned (not including clerical) may be included. Submitted information shall be unclassified. 5. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS If you have any Questions, then please reference the page and paragraph numbers above and identify yourself and company you represent and have your contracting administrator send your questions to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist listed in paragraph 1 above by e-mail.