SOURCES SOUGHT
91 -- XENON CAPABILITY BY INDUSTRY TO SUPPORT NASA ION PROPULSION SYSTEMS
- Notice Date
- 5/19/2003
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Procurement, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
- ZIP Code
- 32899
- Solicitation Number
- 03-KPK-001
- Response Due
- 6/20/2003
- Archive Date
- 5/19/2004
- Point of Contact
- Lisa Morales, Contract Specialist, Phone (321) 867-3860, Fax (321) 867-1188, Email lisa.morales-1@ksc.nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Lisa Morales
(lisa.morales-1@ksc.nasa.gov)
- Description
- NASA/KSC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources for Xenon capability to support NASA Ion Propulsion Systems. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offeror?s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. NASA is expecting to have increasing requirements for Xenon used as a propellant in electrically powered ion propulsion systems as was demonstrated in the N-Star engine on the Deep Space 1 spacecraft. Some geo-synchronous communication satellites are using smaller versions of the ion engine with a few kilograms of Xenon propellant on-board. However, NASA plans to have much larger systems deployed on future spacecraft with on-board quantities of initially several hundred kilograms using solar-electric powered ion engines. Even larger systems could result from potential nuclear-powered systems for outer-planet exploration missions under the new Project Prometheus. The current industry standard Xenon logistics of 5500 kPa pressure gas in 9 kg capacity cylinder would prove to be a logistics challenge to support these future missions. Having to load a spacecraft ion propulsion system from say, 50 Xenon cylinders would certainly be labor intensive and may likely result in contamination and/or loss of valuable Xenon. NASA is seeking industry input on innovative technologies to provide for much higher pressures (on the order of 10,000 kPa) and individual container quantities of 500 kg. The goal is to develop a robust, efficient logistics system to deliver high-purity Xenon at high pressure into space flight systems with a minimum of on-site processing, re-containerization, etc. Pumping units, final filtration, and similar activities are acceptable while loading spacecraft systems. NASA desires to have simple delivery and loading processes similar to the current state-of-the-art for storable hypergolic liquid propellants (hydrazines & N2O4). As the NASA center of excellence for launch and payload processing systems, KSC is seeking industry ideas on potential technologies and processes to accomplish the goal of delivering 500 kg of Xenon into a 10,000 kPa pressure spacecraft propulsion system. The first use of such a system could support the DAWN mission scheduled for launch in May 2006. Xenon purity requirements are listed in below: Useful links: DAWN Mission: http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/dawn/index.html Project Prometheus: http://spacescience.nasa.gov/missions/prometheus.htm KSC Propellants: http://propellants.ksc.nasa.gov/ Xenon purity, 99.999% by difference Contaminant with the Limit, max ppm by Vol. Oxygen (0.1), Water H20 (.01), Carbon Monoxide CO (0.5), Carbon Dioxide Dioxide CO2 (0.5), Carbon Tetraflouride CF4 (0.1), Total hydrocarbons as methane (0.1), Nitrogen (1), Hydrogen (2), Krypton (5), Argon (1) Vendors having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes 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. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to Chuck Davis, Storable Propellants Engineer, NASA, Mail Code: TA-E3, KSC, FL 32955. Phone 321-867-4748, fax 321-867-7369, email chuck.davis@nasa.gov no later than June 20, 2003.
- Web Link
-
Click here for the latest information about this notice
(http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=76#105860)
- Record
- SN00327019-W 20030521/030519213712 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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