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80GRC026CA001_RFI
Response Deadline
May 29, 2026, 9:00 PM(CDT)25 days
Eligibility
Contract Type
Sources Sought
Section 1 - Overview
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking information from U.S. and international commercial providers on support for the recently redefined Artemis III mission. NASA is particularly interested in innovative, secondary communications capabilities that can enable robust, high rate data return from the Orion crew vehicle during operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
This Request for Information (RFI) is issued by NASA’s Moon to Mars (M2M) Program, and aims to identify mature services and user terminals that can augment Orion’s primary communication system. Respondents are invited to submit end-to-end system concepts that could provide continuous, high bandwidth transmission of mission data in the dynamic LEO environment and contribute to the success of crewed space exploration under the Artemis program.
Section 2 – RFI Overview
2.1 The Artemis III Mission
The Artemis III mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and the commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon. Artemis III will test integrated rendezvous and proximity operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial lunar landers provided by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
The Artemis III mission profile is still being finalized. For the purposes of responses to this RFI, the following Ground Rules and Assumptions can be considered:
2.2 Service and Integration Expectations
The Artemis III mission profile moving to LEO is introducing new challenges to the Orion vehicle, one being a reduced data rate for the primary communication system. In addition, M2M seeks to receive live 4K imagery during rendezvous and docking operations, and downlink of large files in other phases of flight. To meet these demands, a secondary communications system is being evaluated for inclusion in the Artemis III Orion configuration. It is anticipated that, to meet these requirements, the system must provide near continuous communication with a return link of at least 12 Mbps.
Given the short timeline, availability of hardware and ease of integration into the Orion vehicle is a significant consideration.
Performance Objectives
Orion Vehicle Integration
Given the short timeline, ease of integration into the Orion vehicle is a significant consideration. Key design parameters include:
Implementation Options
Both internally configured and externally mounted implementations will be considered.
Testing
Section 3. Requested Information
NASA invites detailed responses from industry on existing or planned capabilities that are available to support NASA’s emerging needs for Orion in LEO during Artemis III. Respondents are encouraged to submit existing documentation, such as Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), or User Guides, where available.
Information provided will be used solely for internal Government planning, market research, and acquisition strategy development purposes. NASA will not publicly release company-specific data or estimates.
Response to questions can be marked proprietary or confidential information. However, industry respondents are encouraged to deliver information such that it can be openly shared with the NASA stakeholder community and critical industry partners involved with Orion vehicle, enabling NASA to move quickly to assess and execute on any next steps.
Below are summaries of anticipated system elements and the corresponding details expected to be necessary for determining potential support to Artemis III crew Orion. Please provide the following system information for consideration, or a rationale for why this information was not included:
System Overview
System Terminal Parameters
Space-Relay Architecture Parameters
End-to-End
Quantitively Link and Reliability Analysis
Expected Delivery, Integration and Test Schedule
Cost
Additional Information
3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
All written responses of the above requested documentation shall be submitted electronically via email to claude.e.david@nasa.gov, ian.park@nasa.gov, and shanna.deleon@nasa.gov, no later than May 29, 2026, at 4:00 pm CT.
Additionally, a Request for Information Industry Day is anticipated to occur on May 19, 2026, at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX and will include a virtual option. Following the Industry Day presentation(s) NASA will offer private, one-on-one meetings in person or virtual with interested industry participants on May 19-20, 2026. Requests to meet with NASA in a one-on-one setting at JSC are due May 15, 2026, at 4:00 pm CT. No requests will be accepted after this date. Please submit requests electronically to shanna.deleon@nasa.gov.
Participation in a site visit or a one-on-one is voluntary. NASA extends this offer to all interested parties to further its market research and collaborative partnerships in advance of pursuing a solution.
4. DISCLAIMER
This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation or a commitment by the Government to procure any services. This is a request for information for planning and information purposes only. This is not a request for proposal or quotation, nor is this a solicitation for a contract or grant award. This RFI does not obligate the Government in any way. The Government will not reimburse the respondents for any costs associated with the information submitted in response to this request.
No corresponding solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation following this is released, it will be posted on www.sam.gov (https://www.sam.gov/). It is the interested party’s responsibility to monitor this site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.
5. POINTS OF CONTACT
For questions regarding this RFI, please email claude.e.david@nasa.gov, ian.park@nasa.gov, and shanna.deleon@nasa.gov.
Claude David
Shanna Deleon
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
21000 BROOKPARK ROAD
CLEVELAND, OH, 44135