Procurement Opportunity Document (POD) for Medium Explorer Concept Spacecraft and On-Orbit Support

The partnership opportunity is being issued to select teaming partners to serve as the satellite (spacecraft) integrator for this MIDEX mission, which includes providing a spacecraft bus consistent with a Class C mission per NPR 8705.4 Risk Classification for NASA Payloads, instrument to spacecraft integration and environmental testing support (at the vendors facility), integration support for the observatory to launch vehicle, and support for mission operations. Also, as an option, the selected partner to provide a mission operations center.

NOTE: Upon selection, GSFC may discuss, and further tailor the roles proposed by respondents in the best interests of the proposal.

The proposed mission is currently in pre-Phase A. If the proposal is down selected, the next step in the proposal process is a mission concept study culminating in a Concept Study Report (CSR), followed by a Site Visit.

The following schedule should be used as a basis for responses to this opportunity:

Helio MIDEX Draft AO Released: April 2025 (target)

Helio MIDEX AO Released: July 2025 (target)

Pre-proposal conference: ~3 weeks after final AO release

Step-1 proposal due: 90 days after AO release

Selection for competitive Phase A studies: April 2026 (target)

Concept Study Reports (CSRs) due: 9 months after selection

Step-2 down select: July 2027 (target)

AO required Launch Readiness Date: January 2032 (TBR)