Lunar and Martian Gravity

NASA/Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources who may be able to provide a suborbital flight testing capabilities to simulate sustained Lunar and Martian gravity. This type of test environment has the potential to help mature technologies that are critical for achieving space exploration objectives.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) AFRC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI), and members of the underserved communities as defined by Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity And Support For Underserved Communities Through The Federal Government, for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for Lunar and Martian Gravity. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Women-owned (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses received.

The desired flight test capability would deliver sustained simulated Lunar and Martian gravity profiles that:

• Are no less than one minute in duration


• Provide consistent accelerations (less than 1% variation) to the entire payload volume for the duration of the gravity profile (e.g., across the entire vehicle for the full test period)


• Provide a magnitude acceleration that does not deviate beyond 10% of the targeted value for the duration of the maneuver

The type of activities involved developing the desired flight test capabilities might include:

• Determination of the flight maneuvers necessary to induce Lunar and Martian gravity and the vector directions the payloads will experience.


• Consideration of how payloads may be mounted to align with the gravity vector while maximizing useful payload volume.


• Evaluation of required alterations to flight control systems (e.g., software, hardware)


• Consideration of how to support payloads containing simulated regolith during on-site payload preparations and recovery


• Development of best practices for how payloads can safely use simulated regolith in-flight, while minimizing overhead of the review process.

No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. Interested firms are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

Interested firms having the required capabilities necessary to meet the above requirement described herein should submit a capability statement of no more than 10 pages indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort. The capability statement should demonstrate how the vendor has successfully performed Lunar and Martian gravity capability during which payloads are subjected to accelerations equivalent to Lunar and Martian gravity for periods of no less than one minute and where the variation of acceleration is less than 1 percent across the volume of the payload. The magnitude of the Lunar or Martian acceleration shall remain within 10 percent of the targeted value for the duration of the maneuver. If this has not been achieved in its capability statement the vendor shall address what capabilities it has to meet this requirement.

The requirement is considered to be a non-commercial type product.

All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Roxana Romero at roxana.l.romero@nasa.gov and Lonna Rumsey at lonna.rumsey@nasa.gov no later than November 29, 2024 at 4:00 PM PST. Please reference 80AFRC25SS002 in any response.

This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement.