NASA has started seeking proposals for a potential 10-year contract to provide facilities and services needed to facilitate the processing and integration of spacecraft with the launch vehicle.
The agency will launch a full-and-open competition for the Spacecraft Processing Operations Contract and plans to award the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in January, according to a solicitation published Thursday.
In addition to facilities and support services, the vendor will provide advance planning, supplies and commodities to enable launch services contractors and spacecraft customers to perform prelaunch processing and integrate the spacecraft with the flight hardware, according to the statement of work.
Processing may include propellant loading, launch vehicle integrated operations, spin balancing, encapsulation and transportation of the completed spacecraft to the launch pad.
The SPOC contractor should also designate a facility located near either Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida or Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
NASA will accept questions on the solicitation until Dec. 14 and proposals through Dec. 23.
Oral presentations will be conducted from Jan. 4 to 6.