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2024-10-11 23:59:59 US/Eastern Time

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Modular Space Electro-Spray for Efficient and Responsive Thrust

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Project Description

Problem

Modern spacecraft typically rely on a combination of propulsion technologies, many of which use finite liquid or gaseous chemical propellants. These limited resources must be conserved, often reserved for critical tasks like station-keeping or essential maneuvers such as collision avoidance. To enhance mission capability across commercial, civil, and national security applications, more efficient propulsion systems are needed. These technologies should offer high specific impulse, enabling spacecraft to maneuver freely without the constraints of fuel conservation, ultimately supporting more dynamic and regret-free operations in space.


Desired Solution Attributes

The Department of Defense (DoD) is seeking proposals for advanced electrospray propulsion technology that demonstrates superior performance in both thrust and specific impulse. These solutions should deliver a high-performance, low-cost system capable of supporting a wide range of space missions. By leveraging this technology, the DoD aims to enhance mission capabilities while ensuring cost efficiency and flexibility in space operations.


Compelling solutions are characterized by:

  • High specific impulse (Isp).
  • Significant performance with respect to thrust to power over other electric propulsion technologies.
  • High efficiency in terms of thrust to power while maintaining high Isp.
  • Mature in both technology and manufacturing readiness levels.
  • Ability to demonstrate functional hardware/software system elements in a laboratory environment within 90 days of contract award.
  • Scalable in terms of both modularity and power.
  • Be designed for rapid and scalable production.
  • Be survivable across a range of orbital environments.
  • Ability to demonstrate on orbit within 18 to 24 months of award.

Desired solutions differentiators:

  • Effectively scaled to enable similar space maneuver operations for a range of spacecraft mass and volume constraints. 
  • Be throttleable with sufficient precision to enable a variety of space maneuver operations such as collision avoidance, station keeping, orbital insertion/change, rapid orbit repositioning and support of rendezvous and proximity operations with other spacecraft.


Eligibility Requirements

Awarding Instrument

This solicitation will be awarded in accordance with the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) process detailed within HQ0845-20-S-C001 (DIU CSO), posted to SAM.gov on 13 Jan 2020, updated 02 Oct 2023. This document can be found here.


Vendors are reminded that in order to utilize an Other Transaction (OT) agreement the requirements of 10 USC 4022 must be satisfied. Specifically reference 10 USC 4022(d), which requires significant contribution from a nontraditional defense contractor, all participants to be small business concerns, or at least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government.


Follow-on Production

Companies are advised that any prototype OT agreement awarded in response to this AOI may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of further competitive procedures. The follow-on production contract or transaction will be available for use by one or more organizations in the Department of Defense and, as a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the prototype OT. As such, any prototype OT will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: "In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OT may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”

Awarding Process

DIU

Before You Submit

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Potential Follow-On Production Contract for Prototype Other Transaction Agreements

Companies are advised that any Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement awarded in response to this solicitation may result in the direct award of a follow-on production contract or agreement without the use of further competitive procedures. Follow-on production activities will result from successful prototype completion.

The follow-on production contract or agreement will be available for use by one or more organizations within the Department of Defense. As a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the Prototype OT agreement. All Prototype OT agreements will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: “In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has successfully been completed, this competitively awarded Prototype OT agreement may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.”

2023 Other Transaction Guide

Common issues with submissions

If you are having problems uploading your AOI submission to DIU, it may be one of these common issues with submitting, click here for solutions to common submission issues.

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Submission Form
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Solution Brief

Solution briefs must be saved as a PDF that is 10MB or smaller. Papers should be approximately 5 or fewer pages and slide decks should be approximately 15 or fewer slides.

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I certify that this submission contains no data designated higher than "Controlled Unclassified Information" (CUI). Submissions with CUI and "FOUO" material may be accepted.

Any agreement awarded off of this solicitation will include language requiring your company to confirm compliance with Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232). If you are not able to comply with the law, the Government may not be able to award the agreement.

We Work With You

If we think there’s a good match between your solution and our DoD partners, we’ll invite you to provide us with a full proposal — this is the beginning of negotiating all the terms and conditions of a proposed prototype contract.

After a successful prototype, the relationship can continue and even grow, as your company and any interested DoD entity can easily enter into follow-on contracts.

Our Process

  1. We solicit commercial solutions that address current needs of our DoD partners.

  2. You send us a short brief about your solution.

  3. We’ll get back to you within 30 days if we’re interested in learning more through a pitch. If we're not interested, we'll strive to let you know ASAP.