NASA Ames Research Center Small Spacecraft Technology Program Space Technology Mission Directorate

Transcription

1 OMB Approval Number: National Aeronautics and Space Administration SMALLSAT TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS 2013 NASA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NOTICE: NNA13ZUA001C NASA Ames Research Center Small Spacecraft Technology Program Space Technology Mission Directorate Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CDFA) Number: Release Date: April 2, 2013 Amendment One: April 11, 2013 Notice of Intent Due: May 1, 2013 Proposals Due: June 5, 2013, 6:00 PM EDT

2 SMALLSAT TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS CONTENTS I. Summary of Key Information II. III. IV. Background Information NASA s Space Technology Mission Directorate Small Spacecraft Technology Program Definition of Small Spacecraft Description of Notice Objectives and Goals Technical Scope Eligibility and Requirements for Partnerships and Participation NASA Center Points-of-Contact General Information Related Opportunities Proposal Preparation and Submission General Instructions NSPIRES Registration Instructions Grants.gov Registration and Submission Instructions Notice of Intent Proposal Preparation Proposal Submission Proposal Review Information V. Award Administration Information Notification of Award Availability of Funds for Awards Use and Disclosure of Research Resulting From Awards Intellectual Property Resulting from Awards Reporting Requirements ITAR Regulations NASA Safety Policy Ombudsman Program Appendix A: NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Descriptions Appendix B: Additional Required Certifications

3 I. SUMMARY OF KEY INFORMATION SMALLSAT TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS Objective: To award cooperative agreements to United States colleges and universities to develop and/or demonstrate new technologies and capabilities for small spacecraft in collaboration with NASA. Projects may be technology development or development of spacecraft or payloads for suborbital, balloon or orbital space flights. Eligibility: Limited to college and university teams (including undergraduate and/or graduate students) in partnership with NASA researchers. The Principal Investigator submitting the proposal shall be affiliated with a college or university. Key Dates: Release: April 2, 2013 Notice of Intent Due: May 1, 2013, 6:00 PM EDT Questions Due: May 13, 2013, 6:00 PM EDT Proposals Due: June 5, 2013, 6:00 PM EDT Selection: July 12, 2013 (Target) Award: August 16, 2013 (Target) Project Start: September 2, 2013 (Target) No Late Submissions: Submissions that are incomplete at the stated deadline will not be accepted. Submission Websites: or Selecting Official: Small Spacecraft Technology Program Executive Awards: Total anticipated budget for this notice: up to $1,500,000. Maximum value of any single award: up to $100,000 per year, per university or a maximum of $150,000 per year for projects with more than one university partner. A NASA civil servant labor allocation of up to 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) would be available to support NASA involvement in each selected project. Expected number of awards: up to ten, pending acceptable proposals and available funding Project duration: one year, with possible continuation for second year based on satisfactory progress and available funding. Points-of-Contact for Questions: All general questions about this notice shall be submitted, by only, to the NASA Contracting Officer, Rachel Khattab at: rachel.khattab@nasa.gov. Questions and responses will be posted by an amendment to the notice at

4 Questions regarding collaboration with potential NASA civil servant partners may be directed to the specific NASA Center points-of-contact provided in the notice. II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION NASA s Space Technology Mission Directorate The NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate has the following goals and objectives: Advance technology that is broadly applicable to multiple users in science, exploration and space operations Competitively select research by academia, industry, NASA Centers, and other government laboratories based on technical merit Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders and leverage the technology investments of international, other government agency, academic and industrial partners Generate new inventions, new capabilities, and a pipeline of innovators to serve future national needs Grow the nation s innovation economy and create high-technology jobs. The Space Technology Mission Directorate has nine separate but inter-related programs that address a wide range of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). TRL descriptions are provided in Appendix A of this notice. NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) focuses on visionary aeronautics and space system concepts. TRL Range: 1-3 Space Technology Research Grants focus on innovative research in advanced space technology and fellowships for graduate student research in space technology. TRL Range: 1-3 Center Innovation Fund stimulates creativity and innovation at the NASA field centers. TRL Range: 1-3 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) engage small businesses in aerospace research and development for infusion into NASA missions and the nation s economy. TRL Range: 2-5 Game Changing Development focuses on maturing advanced space technologies that may lead to entirely new approaches for the Agency's future space missions. TRL Range: 3-5 Small Spacecraft Technology develops and demonstrates subsystem technologies and new mission capabilities for small spacecraft. TRL Range: 3-7 Technology Demonstration Missions seeks to mature laboratory-proven technologies to flight-ready status. TRL Range: 5-7 Flight Opportunities facilitates access to suborbital environments for a broad range of innovators as a means of advancing space technology development and supporting the evolving commercial space industry. TRL Range: 5-7 Centennial Challenges offers incentive prizes to stimulate innovative solutions by citizen inventors and independent teams outside of the traditional aerospace community. TRL Range: 5-9

5 Additional information about NASA s Space Technology Mission Directorate is available online at: Small Spacecraft Technology Program The Small Spacecraft Technology Program, one of the nine programs in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, has three primary objectives: 1. Identify and support the development of new subsystem technologies to enhance or expand the capabilities of small spacecraft. The program seeks to develop subsystem technologies that are new and revolutionary in their impact, rather than incremental improvements of existing subsystems. The goal is to advance subsystem technologies from a readiness level of 3 (analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof of concept) to a readiness level of 5 (component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment). 2. Support flight demonstrations of new technologies, capabilities and applications for small spacecraft. The program seeks to demonstrate technologies that are new and capabilities that have not previously been demonstrated in space. The goal is to advance technologies and capabilities from a readiness level of 5 (component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment) to a readiness level of at least 7 (system prototype demonstration in an operational environment). 3. Use small spacecraft as platforms for testing and demonstrating technologies and capabilities that might have more general applications in larger-scale spacecraft and systems. The program seeks to contribute to the full range of NASA s science and technology challenges, where demonstrations with small spacecraft can reduce the cost, risk, complexity or time required to advance the state-of-the-art. All efforts focus on small spacecraft capabilities that are relevant to NASA s missions in science, exploration, space operations and aeronautics including those with crosscutting applications for NASA and other users. The program consists of four elements intended to encompass the development and demonstration of a range of technologies and capabilities and to engage the talents of the broad community of researchers and technologists from government, industry and academia. Focused Technology Development and Demonstrations: full and open solicitations for projects in development and flight demonstrations in focused small spacecraft technology areas such as communications, propulsion, etc. Mission Capability Demonstrations: flight demonstration projects for new mission capabilities involving both competitive contracts and directed NASA efforts

6 Leveraged Investments: continuation of selected projects from Small Business Innovation Research or other programs as well as prize challenges and other initiatives Smallsat Technology Partnerships: collaboration between universities and NASA in technology development and demonstrations (the subject of this notice) Typically, annual solicitations and other initiatives in each of the four elements are planned; however, budget limitations may constrain or postpone planned activities. More information about the Small Spacecraft Technology Program is available online at: Definition of Small Spacecraft Small spacecraft, for the purpose of this notice, are defined as those with a mass of 180 kg or less and capable of being launched into space as an auxiliary or secondary payload. Although the term smallsats is used as a synonym, small spacecraft are not limited to Earth orbiting satellites but might also include interplanetary spacecraft, planetary reentry vehicles, and landing craft. Where proposers target a specific class of small spacecraft, the following wet mass range definitions apply: Minisatellite, 100 kilograms or higher Microsatellite, kilograms Nanosatellite, 1-10 kilograms Picosatellite, kilograms Femtosatellite, kilograms A cubesat is a special category of nanosatellite. One cubesat unit (1U) has dimensions of 10 by 10 by 11 centimeters. Cubesats have typically been built in 1U, 1.5U, 2U, or 3U sizes and 6U cubesats are also now being developed. III. DESCRIPTION OF NOTICE Objectives and Goals The subject of this Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) is the Smallsat Technology Partnerships. This is a pilot initiative to: Develop new technologies and capabilities for small spacecraft by engaging the unique talents and fresh perspectives of the university community Share NASA experience and expertise in relevant university projects Increase support to university student efforts in small spacecraft technology through funding and collaboration with NASA, to foster a new generation of innovators for NASA and the nation, and

7 Engage NASA personnel across the agency in the rapid, agile, and cost-conscious small spacecraft development approaches that have evolved in the university community. The goals of this notice include collaboration with university teams that have experience in small spacecraft development and also extension of support to colleges and universities that have little or no previous involvement in this field. These dual goals may be met by proposals that involve partnerships between universities with varying degrees of past experience. Technical Scope The projects must be relevant to the development or demonstration of technologies or new capabilities for small spacecraft in support of NASA s missions in science, exploration, space operations, or aeronautics. Examples of relevant technologies are: propulsion, power generation and storage, guidance, navigation and control, communications, thermal management, radiation tolerance, structures and mechanisms, and flight software development. Examples of relevant capabilities include: orbital maneuvering, formation flying, proximity operations, rendezvous, grappling, docking, insitu and remote sensing, precision pointing, atmospheric entry, planetary landing, and mission operations and tracking. Projects may be laboratory technology development or they may be development of spacecraft or payloads for potential suborbital, balloon or orbital space flights. The following are not within the scope of this notice: science investigations, operational science missions, conceptual design projects, or mission studies. Appropriate technologies for development must be at a starting TRL of at least 3 (analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof of concept) and no more than 6 (system/sub-system model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment). Appropriate technologies for development of spacecraft or payloads must be at a TRL of at least 5 (Component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment). In selecting topics, it is recommended that proposers consider the following sources of information regarding NASA s technology interests and priorities. Space Technology Roadmaps at: National Research Council review of the Space Technology Roadmaps at: and the NASA Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan at: Selected projects that involve development of cubesats may be eligible to propose to the NASA Cubesat Launch Initiative for an orbital flight opportunity at no cost.

8 See: Appropriate projects can also propose to NASA s Flight Opportunities Program for suborbital and balloon flight opportunities. See: Proposers should carefully constrain the scope of their project so that some significant technology advancement can be accomplished with the limited funding and within the one or two year timeframe for these projects. For this reason, multiple focus areas and multiple objectives are not encouraged. Eligibility and Requirements for Partnerships and Participation The Principal Investigator submitting the proposal and leading the project shall be affiliated with a US college or university. The project must include significant participation by undergraduate and graduate students. A college or university shall not submit more than two proposals in response to this notice as a proposing institution or partner. Each project must include collaboration with at least one NASA Field Center and that potential collaboration must coordinated in advance with the NASA Center(s) and described in the proposal. To facilitate the participation of NASA personnel, there will be a civil service labor allocation of up to 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) per project made available to NASA Centers participating in selected projects. (The equivalent of up to one FTE will also be made available at the Jet Propulsion Center, which is a NASA Center, although its employees are not civil servants.) The 1.0 FTE allocation may be the sum of the partial FTE contributions of more than one employee. NASA Centers may allocate additional resources to the project in the form of labor, equipment or facilities, at their own discretion. However, aside from the FTE allocation, NASA Centers will not receive any funds for additional labor, travel or procurements from the Small Spacecraft Technology Program. In order to formulate a plan for collaboration, university teams preparing proposals should contact NASA personnel at specific field centers through the points-of-contact listed below. University teams should be aware that multiple proposal teams are likely to contact each NASA Center. NASA Centers may need to use discretion in considering potential partnerships based on the level of interest and availability of appropriate expertise at that center. The Small Spacecraft Technology Program cannot guarantee that every university proposal team will be able to establish a potential partnership with a NASA Center. Colleges and universities are not required to propose or provide matching funds for the cooperative agreement; nonetheless, NASA can accept cost sharing if it is voluntarily offered.

9 Proposed efforts for this notice may include partners or sponsors, in addition to universities and NASA Centers, such as private businesses, non-profit organizations or other government agencies but the Small Spacecraft Technology Program will not provide funding or other resources to these entities. Also private businesses or other participating entities cannot place additional intellectual property restrictions on work resulting from these efforts. NASA Center Points-of-Contact NASA Field Center Location Point-of-contact, address, phone number Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA Jill Bauman, Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, CA David Voracek, Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH Roshanak Hakimzadeh, Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD Carl Adams, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, CA Neil Murphy, Johnson Space Center Houston, TX Ronald Clayton, Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, FL Robert Ashley, Langley Research Center Hampton, VA Stephen Horan, Marshall Space Flight Center

10 Huntsville, AL Mark Boudreaux, Stennis Space Center Stennis Space Center, MS Ramona Travis, General Information NASA will not issue paper copies of this notice. NASA reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals in response to this notice. NASA provides no funding for reimbursement of proposal development costs. Proposals and any other material submitted in response to this notice will not be returned. It is the policy of NASA to treat all proposals as sensitive competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Awards made through this notice will be cooperative agreements subject to the provisions of the NASA Grants and Cooperative Agreement Handbook (14CFR 1260) NASA NPR E, (Grants Handbook) and the Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA Research Announcement or Cooperative Agreement Notice (NASA Guidebook for Proposers). In the case of any conflict, the Grants Handbook takes precedence. For the Grants Handbook see: For the NASA Guidebook for Proposers see: It is possible that additional programmatic information related to this notice may develop before the proposal due date. If so, such information will be added as a formal amendment to this CAN and posted on its homepage at It is the responsibility of the prospective proposer to check this homepage for updates. Any clarifications or questions and answers that are published will also be posted on this homepage. Related Opportunities Proposers may be aware of two small spacecraft development opportunities offered by other agencies and the distinctions between these opportunities and the one in this notice are outlined below. The University Nanosat Program is managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and offers support to competitively selected university teams in developing a nanosatellite project over a two-year period. Following a second phase competition, selected teams are provided support for construction and orbital flight of their nanosatellite. See:

11 The National Science Foundation manages a competitive opportunity for Cubesat-based Science Missions for Geospace and Atmospheric Research that supports the development and orbital flight of cubesats for scientific missions. See: These programs share some common goals with the opportunity in this notice. However, the other opportunities are both focused on flight projects while this notice is open to laboratory technology development as well as development of spacecraft or payloads for potential flight. The National Science Foundation program seeks science missions and this notice is limited to technology development. Finally, this notice is intended, in part, to encourage and expand collaboration between universities and NASA technologists, which is not a particular aspect of the other programs. The NASA Cubesat Launch Initiative, mentioned earlier, provides no-cost launch opportunities for cubesats developed by government, university, and other non-profit entities; however it does not provide support for development of these cubesats. IV. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION General Instructions All Proposals shall be submitted by electronic means via the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) at: or Grants.gov at Registration and submission instructions for each system are provided in separate sections below. Proposers should not submit the same proposal through both submission systems. NASA will use the NSPIRES system to facilitate the review process so all proposals received through Grants.Gov will be transferred into NSPIRES. Grants.gov does not support submission of a Notice of Intent (NOI); therefore, an NOI must be submitted via NSPIRES regardless of whether the proposal will be submitted via NSPIRES or Grants.gov. Every organization that participates in submittal of a proposal to NASA in response to this notice must be registered in NSPIRES, even if the proposal is submitted via Grants.gov. Every organization that intends to submit a proposal through Grants.gov must also be registered in Grants.gov. All proposing organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at These data sites are secure and all information entered is strictly for NASA s use only. However, proposers are reminded that reviewers performing the evaluation of proposals may be non-government personnel. Proposals submitted on paper or via electronic mail will not be accepted.

12 NSPIRES Registration and Submission Instructions The proposal submission process involves multiple steps to be carried out by all participants in the proposal. Therefore, proposers are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the system and begin the submittal process early, well in advance of the deadline. While every effort is made to ensure the reliability and accessibility of submission systems and to provide a help center via and telephone, difficulties may arise at any point, including in the user s own equipment. Difficulty in registering or using the proposal submission system is not a sufficient reason for NASA to consider a proposal that was not submitted before the deadline. Note that the NSPIRES helpline has limited days and hours of operation. Any organization requesting NASA funds through the proposed project must be listed on the Proposal Cover Page. NASA will not fund organizations that do not appear on the Proposal Cover Page. Every individual named on the proposal s electronic Cover Page form as a proposing team member in any role, including principal investigator (PI), co-investigators and collaborators, must be registered in NSPIRES and each individual must perform this registration themselves; no one may register a second party. Each individual team member named on the proposal s electronic cover page must specify an organizational affiliation. The organizational affiliation specified must be the organization through which the team member is participating in the proposed project. If the individual has multiple affiliations, then this organization may be different from the individual s primary employer or preferred mailing address. All team members identified on the NSPIRES proposal cover page may indicate their commitment to the proposed work via NSPIRES. Each team member will receive an from NSPIRES indicating that he/she has been added to the proposal and should log in to NSPIRES. Once logged in, the team member should follow the link in the "Reminders and Notifications" section of his NSPIRES homepage, titled "Need Co-I and/or Collaborator Statement of Commitment For: Proposal to Solicitation <<solicitation number>>." On the "Team Member Statement of Commitment - Confirmation" page, the team member should read the commitment language, click the "Accept" button, and then click "OK". PI's may monitor the status of team member commitments by examining the "Commitment Confirmed" column on the Team Member page of the NSPIRES proposal cover page record. NSPIRES Helpline Tutorials and other NSPIRES help topics may be accessed through the NSPIRES online help site at For any questions that cannot be resolved with the available on-line help menus, requests for assistance may be directed by

13 to or by telephone to , Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Grants.gov Registration and Submission Instructions Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the managing partner for Grants.gov. In order to submit a proposal via Grants.gov, Grants.gov requires that the Principal Investigator download an application package from Grants.gov. Proposals submitted via Grants.gov must be submitted by the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Submitting a proposal via Grants.gov requires the following steps: Grant researchers do NOT need to register with Grants.gov. However, every individual named in the proposal as a proposing team member in any role, including PI, co-investigators and collaborators must be registered in NSPIRES ( and those individuals must perform this registration themselves; no one may register a second party, even the PI of a proposal in which that person is committed to participate. This data site is secure and all information entered is strictly for NASA s use only. However, proposers are reminded that peer reviewers performing the evaluation of proposals may be non-government personnel. Follow Grants.gov instructions provided at the website to download any software tools or applications required to submit to Grants.gov. Download the application package from Grants.gov by selecting Download grant application packages under Apply for Grants at Enter the appropriate Funding Opportunity Number to retrieve the desired application package. Complete the required Grants.gov forms including the SF424 (R&R) Application for Federal Assistance, R&R Other Project Information, R&R Senior/Key Person Profile, and R&R Budget. Every named individual must be identified with the organization through which they are participating in the proposal, regardless of their place of permanent employment or preferred mailing address. Complete the required NASA specific forms: NASA Other Project Information, NASA Principal Investigator and Authorized Representative Supplemental Data Sheet, NASA Senior/Key Person Supplemental Data Sheet (this form is only required if there are Senior/Key Persons other than the Principal Investigator). Complete any NASA program-specific form that is required for the specific program. Program-specific forms may be found in the application package downloaded from Create a proposal in PDF including the technical and management section and all other required proposal sections. Upload sections as separate PDFs as prompted by Grants.gov. Submit the proposal via the AOR; the proposal Principal Investigator may not submit the application to Grants.gov unless he/she is an AOR.

14 Potential applicants are urged to access Grants.gov site well in advance of the proposal due date(s) of interest to familiarize themselves with its structure and download the appropriate application packages and tools. Instructions for NASA-specific forms and NASA program-specific forms may be found in the application package and at These NASA programspecific forms are required, and failure to properly include them may result in the proposal being deemed unacceptable. Grants.gov Helpline For any questions that cannot be resolved with the available on-line help menus and documentation may be directed by to or by telephone to Notice of Intent Proposers are highly encouraged to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to propose but it is not mandatory. The information contained in an NOI is used to expedite the proposal review activities and is therefore of value to both NASA and the proposer. The Principal Investigator of the proposal must submit the NOI electronically through the NSPIRES system. (Grants.gov does not allow for submission of Notices of Intent.) Proposers must register with NSPIRES before it can be accessed for use. Proposal Preparation All general policies and procedures for the preparation and submission of proposals, as well as NASA's review and selection of proposals for funding, are presented in a separate document, Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) or Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) (NASA Guidebook for Proposers). See: Proposers are responsible for understanding and complying with the procedures in the Guidebook and in this notice before preparing and submitting proposals. Proposals that do not conform to the standards outlined may be declared noncompliant and rejected without review. The specific provisions and instructions in this notice supersede any conflicting provisions in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. Questions and comments regarding this notice may be directed to the point of contact designated in the Summary of Key Information. Proposal Format Requirements Section and overall page limits shall be strictly adhered to and any submitted material exceeding the page limits will not be reviewed or evaluated. The NASA Guidebook for Proposers imposes a maximum size limit of 10 megabytes for the PDF proposal files that are submitted.

15 As indicated in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers, double column text formats shall not be used. All text shall be in 12-point font. All pages, including tables and figures, shall have a vertical (portrait) orientation. If the text in any figures, charts, or illustrations is not clearly legible without magnification, the information contained in the figure will not be evaluated. Proposal Content PROPOSAL COVER PAGES These pages are generated automatically based on information entered into the electronic submission system. These pages do not count against any page limit. The cover pages include a Proposal Summary that is limited to 4000 characters. NASA may release the proposal summary for any selected proposals following award and so the summary must contain only publically releasable information. The title of the proposal should be no more than 60 characters in length, including spaces. The title should describe the focus of the effort in plain language and not include projectunique acronyms or the name of proposing institutions. PROPOSAL Additional cover pages or title pages should not be included in the body of the proposal. A table of contents should not be included in the proposal. Provide appropriate information in each section described below. Note that Sections A through E have prescribed page allocations. These sections may be shorter in length but not longer. SECTION A: Relevance and Impact (Limit: 2 pages) Describe the technology, system, or capability to be developed in the proposed project. Explain the scientific or engineering principles that underlie the relevant technology or system. Describe any similar or related work that has been done or is being done by you or by others and explain how this proposed work is unique and valuable. Explain how the proposed work is critical to advancing the specific technology or capability at this time. Describe how this technology or capability is an improvement over existing capabilities or systems and how it could enable NASA missions or benefit the space research and operations community more generally. If available, provide quantitative information about the expected performance relative to existing systems or other options for small spacecraft. Describe any plans for infusion of the technology or capability into space missions or plans for commercializing the technology. Technologies must be at a TRL of at least 3 at the start of the project. Provide evidence to support the assumptions about the current maturity of the technology or system.

16 SECTION B: Objectives and Approach (Limit: 4 pages) Describe the specific objectives and goals of the project. Briefly describe the steps and milestones in the project from start through completion. Describe any major tests and demonstrations in the plan. Describe any significant technical challenges or risks anticipated in developing and/or demonstrating the proposed technology and explain the mitigation plans for those challenges and risks. If a two-year project is anticipated, the project plan should address the full duration of the project. However, all project plans must include some significant milestones within the first year. Describe the qualitative and quantitative criteria that would represent a successful project. Equipment and Facilities Describe any equipment and facilities that are needed for the project for design, analysis, manufacturing, integration, testing, transportation or operations. Indicate the availability of these facilities or the strategy for gaining access to these facilities. Proposed use of government-furnished equipment or government-owned facilities must include a statement from the cognizant government official that the facilities and/or property will be available for the use intended by the proposal within the planned schedule. Characteristics of Potential Flight Elements if applicable If the project involves the development of a spacecraft or payload for potential suborbital, balloon or orbital space flight, the following information must be included, addressing any items that are applicable. Provide the approximate dimensions and mass of the spacecraft or payload and any other flight elements. Describe the approach for developing or procuring a spacecraft bus to be used for a flight demonstration. Provide the intended altitude, inclination, and any other significant orbital parameters or the acceptable range of orbital parameters. Describe the intended operational lifetime of the spacecraft or payload. Describe the plan for launching the spacecraft or accomplishing a demonstration mission as a primary, secondary, or hosted payload. Describe the operations scenario for a flight demonstration mission. SECTION C: Project Schedule (Limit: 1 page) Provide a schedule chart, with narrative as needed, for the full duration of the project including all major milestones and activities. Assume a start date no earlier than September 2, SECTION D: Team and Partnership (Limit: 2 pages) Explain the approach to be used in managing and coordinating project activities. The nature of the collaboration with NASA should be thoroughly described. Identify the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of each university partner, the roles, responsibilities,

17 and contributions of the NASA partners, and the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of any additional partners. Explain how students will be involved and, if applicable, how the project will involve individuals and institutions that are new to the field of small spacecraft technology. Wherever possible, identify participants by name and affiliation. It is understood that it may not be possible to identify all student participants by name in the proposal, however the approximate number and academic level of students should be indicated. Resumes of key personnel (university and NASA) should be included in the Resume section of the proposal. SECTION E: Proposed Budget Summary (Limit: 1 page) Complete and include the following table. No additional budget or funding details are requested in this section. Provide full budget details in the separate Budget and Justification section below. Budget 1 st Year 2 nd Year (if applicable) Requested Funding in dollars in dollars NASA Labor Allocation* in FTE in FTE Additional Contributions in dollars and/or FTE in dollars and/or FTE Total Cost in dollars in dollars * Although JPL employees are not NASA civil servants please indicate the equivalent of the FTE level for their participation in this table. NASA and JPL labor costs (in dollars) should not be included here. The funding available, as stated earlier, is a maximum of $100,000 per year, per university or a maximum of $150,000 per year for projects with more than one university partner. The NASA civil servant labor allocation with any award is a maximum of 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE). Any proposal that requests more than the maximum funding or FTE allocation is not compliant and will not be evaluated. ADDITIONAL PROPOSAL SECTIONS RESUMES Provide a resume of the Principal Investigator and any Co-Principle Investigators (not to exceed 2 pages each) and other key personnel (not to exceed one page each). Key personnel are those personnel essential for successful accomplishment of the proposal objectives, such as the project manager, system engineer, team leader, etc. CURRENT AND PENDING SUPPORT Provide information for the Principal Investigator and Co-Principle Investigators as specified in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. STATEMENTS OF COMMITMENT Submit letters as specified in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. Statements of Commitment from any partner NASA organizations including any proposed use of

18 Government property or facilities must be included here. Statements of Commitment from organizations contributing additional funding or other resources must be included here. BUDGET JUSTIFICATION: NARRATIVE AND DETAILS Each proposal shall provide a budget justification for each year of the proposed effort and shall be supported by appropriate narrative material and budget details in compliance with the instructions in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. Assume a start date consistent with the project schedule and no earlier than September 2, This section shall be included with the proposal submission. It does not have a page limit. CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED There are additional certifications required and these are included in a form in Appendix B of this notice. A signed certification statement for these additional items is required with the submission of a proposal. SUMMARY CHART (Limit: 1 page, submitted as a separate file) Submit a one-page chart summarizing all key information in the exact format provided in the template below and including only the information requested. Note that no individuals names are requested on the summary chart. Instructions provided in italics below should not be included in the submission. This one-page chart is required and shall be submitted as a separate PDF file Proposal Number: assigned by the electronic submission system Proposal Title: 60 characters (with spaces) or less Primary Focus Area: indicate the technology area or capability addressed by the project Brief Summary: 100 words or less explaining the technology, system and/or capability addressed and the goals and objectives of the project. This summary should contain only publically releasable information. An illustration may be included here. Budget Summary: Budget 1 st Year 2 nd Year (if applicable) Requested Funding in dollars in dollars NASA Labor Allocation in FTE in FTE Additional Contributions in dollars and/or FTE in dollars and/or FTE Total Cost in dollars in dollars

19 Submitting Organization: name of college or university with city and state All Partner Organizations: list Proposal Submission Submission Instructions All proposals submitted in response to this notice must include a required electronic Cover Page form. This form is comprised of several distinct sections including a Cover Page that contains the identifier information for the proposing institution and personnel and a Proposal Summary that provides an overview of the proposed project that is suitable for public release if the proposal is selected. The required sections of the proposal must be submitted as one searchable, unlocked PDF file that is attached to the electronic submission. A separate PDF file must be submitted for the one-page Summary Chart. Only appendices or attachments that are specifically requested in this notice will be permitted; proposals containing unsolicited appendices or attachments may be declared noncompliant. Submission of proposals requires several coordinated actions from the proposing organization. In particular, when the PI has completed entry of the data requested, an official at the PI s organization who is authorized to make such a submission, referred to as the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR), must submit the electronic proposal. The AOR s electronic submission of the proposal serves as the required original signature by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Coordination between the PI and his/her AOR on the final editing and submission of the proposal materials is facilitated through their respective accounts. Note that if one individual is acting in both the PI and AOR roles, he/she must ensure that all steps in the process are taken, including submitting the proposal from the organization. The electronic proposal must be submitted in its entirety by an AOR at the proposing PI s organization, no later than the specified proposal deadline time on the proposal due date specified in the Summary of Key Information. Proposals submitted after the deadline on the proposal due date will be considered late. Late proposals will not be accepted or reviewed. Required Certifications of Compliance The Certification of Compliance with Applicable Executive Orders and US Code is included at the bottom of the printout of the Proposal Cover Page. The electronic signature of the Cover Page by the Authorizing Official who submits the proposal is sufficient to affirm that these applicable requirements are met by the proposing organization. Certification of Compliance with Applicable Executive Orders and U.S. Code

20 Assurance of Compliance with the NASA Regulations Pursuant to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs Certification Regarding Lobbying Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters There are additional certifications required and these are included in a form in Appendix B of this notice. A signed certification statement for these additional items is required with the submission of a proposal. Assurance and Representation on China restrictions set out in section 1340 of PL and section 539 of PL Certification regarding ACORN or its subsidiaries as provided in section 534 of PL Representation regarding corporate felony convictions as provided in section 543 of PL Representation regarding unpaid corporate tax liabilities as provided in section 544 of PL The text of the Certifications, Assurances, and Representations are found in Appendix E of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. Use and Disclosure of Proposal Information Except as provided below, information contained in proposals is used for evaluation purposes only. In order to maximize protection of trade secrets or other information that are confidential or privileged, proposers should identify such information in their proposals using restrictive notices (see Appendix B, Part (a)(2) and (c)(2) of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers). For selected proposals, NASA considers the Proposal Title, the Principal Investigator's name and organization, and the Proposal Summary (see Section of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers) to be in the public domain and may post that information on an appropriate publicly accessible location. Proposers should draft their Proposal Summaries in anticipation of public disclosure. Selected proposers are free, but not required by NASA, to release any additional information about their proposals that they may choose. However, NASA considers other sections of proposals to be proprietary and, therefore, does not release these sections of successful proposals to the public without prior consultation with the proposer. Conflict of Interest Check Information In order to ensure that all proposal evaluations are conducted as fairly as possible, it is important to ascertain whether prospective reviewers may have conflicts of interest that might affect their capacity to function with impartiality. To facilitate the process of identifying potential conflicts of interest, it is necessary to collect information about the organizations participating in each proposal, which is done as part of the electronic submission process.

21 Proposal Review Information Review Process Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by subject matter experts, which may include non-government personnel. All proposals that are compliant with the submission requirements, scope of the notice, and proposal format will be reviewed. Reviewers will provide a score for the criteria described below. The proposals will be ranked based upon the evaluation scores. The Selecting Official will receive a recommendation for selection based on the ranking. Final selection may also take into account the cost of proposed projects, the amount of available funding, balancing of the NASA technology portfolio, and other considerations and goals stated in this notice. NASA reserves the right to select only a portion of a proposed project, usually at a level of support reduced from that requested in the original proposal or may offer tentative selections in which NASA requests proposers to team in a joint project. Additionally, NASA may decide to award an effort for less than the full period of the proposal. In these cases, the proposer will be given the opportunity to accept or decline such selection. If the proposer declines, NASA may withdraw the offer in its entirety. Evaluation Criteria The following criteria will be used in evaluation of proposals. Relevance and Impact Weighting: 25% Addressed in Section A of proposal Scientific and engineering basis of any new technology is sound Proposed work is relevant to the technical scope of this notice Proposed technology or capability is relevant to NASA missions or the needs of the larger space community Starting and resulting TRL is within the scope of this notice Proposed technology or capability offers significant benefit and impact Objectives, Approach and Schedule Weighting: 40% Addressed in Section B and C of proposal Approach to project implementation is complete and sound Technical challenges and risks are understood Objectives and success criteria are clearly identified Needed equipment and facilities are identified and are available Potential flight elements are described, if applicable Schedule is complete, with necessary activities and milestones identified Schedule durations and margins are reasonable Team and Partnership Weighting: 25% Addressed in Section D of proposal and in Resumes

22 Management and coordination approach is sound Roles for university and NASA participants are suitable and significant Project leadership is knowledgeable and experienced Project provides for involvement of students and institutions that are new to the field of small spacecraft technology Proposed Budget Weighting: 10% Addressed in Section E of proposal and in the Budget Justification Budget is reasonable and complete V. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION Notification of Award A NASA Awards Officer, who is the only official authorized to obligate the Government, will contact those proposers selected for award. The parties will negotiate the resultant cooperative agreement based upon the proposal and the provisions of 14 CFR Those proposers not selected will be notified by postal or electronic mail. Following the announcement of selections for this notice, proposers may request a written summary of the evaluation of their proposal. Costs incurred by the proposer in anticipation of a cooperative agreement award will be subject to the policies and regulations of the Grants Handbook (see Section B, Part (e)). Availability of Funds for Awards The Government s obligation to make awards is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment can be made, and the receipt of proposals that NASA determines are acceptable for award under this notice. Use and Disclosure of Research Resulting From Awards As a Federal Agency, NASA requires prompt public disclosure of the results of its sponsored research to generate knowledge that benefits the Nation. Thus, it is NASA s intent that all knowledge developed under this notice be shared broadly. Proposals should include a clear statement of how the proposer intends to publicly disseminate the results. NASA recognizes that there are cases when data cannot be disclosed in the public domain (e.g., export controlled data). Even in these cases, proposers are expected to publish data to the greatest extent possible. If results must include proprietary or restricted information, that information should be separately marked and segregated into a separate Appendix that will not be publicly disseminated. The publicly releasable