In Space Production Applications (InSPA)

This is Modification 11 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021 and updated on December 8, 2021.  The purpose of this modification is to notify proposers that the last day to submit questions for this solicitation is Friday, February 4, 2022.  The proposal due date remains February 11, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST). This modification also posts an additional Question and Answer received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 23: Is there any concern from NASA if a PI supporting our proposal collaborates with foreign entities on unrelated activities and the proposal does not include any participation from the foreign entities nor fund transfers to these foreign entities?Answer 23: There is no issue with eligibility for the scenario described. For clarification, the solicitation does not preclude the support of foreign entities but does prohibit the transfer of U.S. Government funding to foreign entities. Great care should be given

to following U.S. Government export restrictions - it is the responsibility of the person making the export to determine the appropriate classification and to obtain necessary approvals.  Also, given the goals of the InSPA program, consideration should be given to actions that might threaten U.S. leadership in the in-space manufacturing arena.                                                                                 ***End of Modification***This is Modification 10 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021 and updated on December 8, 2021.  The purpose of this modification is to post additional Questions and Answers received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 21: Can a Co-PI who serves as an Implementation Partner provide their budget/scope/statement of work as a simple fixed-price subcontract to the PI award? Answer 21: NASA does not require detailed insight into the terms and conditions of the agreement between the PI and the Co-PI for “implementation partner” support. NASA understands the work they perform to facilitate integration with ISS.  The proposal should include their work as part of the overall work plan / deliverables and should specify the subcontract price as part of the overall cost/price description.Question 22: If the project is awarded that includes the support of an implementation partner as a Co-PI, would it be possible for NASA to directly fund the Co-PI, rather than sub-contracting through the PI organization?  The Co-PI has pre-negotiated rates for their services when NASA contracts with them.Answer 22: NASA will issue a single contract action for each InSPA award. NASA does not typically execute multiple contract actions for a single project. The PI and Co-PI can choose who serves as the prime contractor and who serves as a subcontractor or partner.                                                                                          ***End of Modification***This is Modification 9 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA which extends the due date for full proposals to February 11, 2022, 4:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST).  An update to NRA NNJ13ZBG001N, Focus Area 1 “In Space Production Applications (InSPA)” (link below) is forthcoming.  The update to the NRA also shows an updated schedule for anticipated dates for announcement of award and contract start.     This modification also posts an additional question and answer as follows: Question 20: Is NASA accepting proposals at any time or does the InSPA Phase 1 have to be submitted by 1/28/2022? Answer 20: Proposals seeking an award using FY22 funding for Phase 1 new starts must be submitted by 2/11/2022.  The solicitation remains open year-round for renewal awards to continue work under existing NASA contracts and task orders.                                                                                         ***End of Modification***This is Modification 8 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021 and updated on December 8, 2021.  The purpose of this modification is to post additional Questions and Answers received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 18: Do proposals have to show the same price that was stated in the White Paper? Answer 18: No.  The proposal should reflect the best estimate of total cost and price to the Government at the time of submittal, without regard to what was stated in the White Paper.Question 19: Please clarify, if a Proposer works with an Implementation Partner to build and fly their technology/application to the ISS, who has ownership of the a) the hardware and b) the intellectual property?Answer 19: a) Regarding hardware ownership, NASA typically structures InSPA awards such that there is no transfer of title to the Government.  Funding is provided to the (prime) contractor (as defined in the proposal) and it is the responsibility of the prime to establish agreements with any other partner/subcontractors regarding hardware ownership.b) Regarding Intellectual Property (IP), NASA does not get involved with establishing ownership of IP. It is the responsibility of the developer/inventor of new technology to take appropriate actions (e.g. patent application, publishing, etc.).                                                                               ***End of Modification***This is Modification 7 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021 and updated on December 8, 2021.  The purpose of this modification is to post additional Questions and Answers received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 14: It says in Appendix C of the NASA Guidebook that all equipment costs (supplies costs of +$5000) need prior NASA Grant Officer approval.  Is that prior to application or prior to award? Answer 14: NASA does not require a detailed materials list as part of the proposal but does require the materials and equipment cost to be included in the detailed Basis of Estimate (BOE).  NASA review and approval of high value materials will be granted thru negotiations post-selection.Question 15: Is cost-sharing an option for Phase I? Can we include in-kind contributions?Answer 15: Proposers are free to include cost-sharing as part of Phase 1.  However, a portion of the contribution requested for Phase 2 can come from contributions made up to 3 years prior (including during Phase 1).  The contribution cannot be counted twice.Question 16: Can a subcontractor be a Co-I or Co-PI even if they are non-U.S. Citizens and part of a non-U.S. Organization? Answer 16: Co-PIs can be from a non-U.S. organization as described in Appendix B of the NRA Guidebook, subject to the funding restrictions in this NRA under Section IIIB.Question 17: Do you need a completed budget for all three phases or just Phase I?Answer 17: NASA requests an estimate of full cost and schedule for all 3 phases but expects a detailed basis of estimate for the proposed (phase 1) work as defined in the work plan/statement of work.                                                                                   ***End of Modification***This is Modification 6 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021 and updated on December 8, 2021.  The purpose of this modification is to post additional Questions and Answers received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 10: Is it acceptable to use the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Biosketch template for the Biosketch component of the proposal or if there is another specific template the NASA reviewers prefer?  Answer 10: NASA has no preferred template for biographical data of key personnel contained in the proposal, however, as stated in the NRA, the proposal must be submitted as searchable, unlocked PDF files that are attached to the electronic submission.Question 11: What is NASA’s budget for In-Space Production Application?Answer 11: NASA does not intend to make any public statements regarding total budget.  Proposers should submit offers with an estimate of funding needed from the Government considering the cost-sharing guidelines defined in the NRA.Question 12: Astronaut participation - If the system needs to be somewhat operated by the astronauts, is the cost of their time covered by NASA or is it something that needs to be in the budget?Answer 12: Astronaut time is included as part of the ISS National Lab resource and is provided at no cost to the proposer if selected by NASA and accepted by CASIS via a signed User Agreement.Question 13: My understanding is that one of the goals of the Phase I is to refine the business case to include letters of support from potential customers/partners.  Can you confirm that providing a letter of support is not a requirement for the Phase I proposal?Answer 13: Focus Area 1A includes a table of Proposal Requirements in the Business Approach section i that status “substantiation of interest/support (i.e. letters of intent)” are not required for Phase 1 proposals. However, they would add to the strength of the proposal and should be submitted if available                                                                               ***End of Modification***This is Modification 5 to direct proposers' attention to the December 8th update to NRA NNJ13ZBG001N, Focus Area 1 “In Space Production Applications (InSPA)” (link below), and to notify proposers that the due date for full proposals is January 28, 2022, 4:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST). In addition, the following questions and answers to this solicitation as follows:Question 7: The solicitation document states on page 30 under proposal format that proposers need to follow the Guidebook for Proposers. The guidebook asks for a very detailed budget, however, the NSPIRES system says that Budget is not requested. The NSPIRES helpdesk confirmed that the system doesn't need a budget for this project.Answer 7: The Proposal shall include a proposed budget and a budget narrative linking the basis of estimate for tasks defined in the work plan to the budget details as described in the NRA Guidebook, as well as the total estimated cost with phasing by Fiscal Year as requested in the NRA under Special Focus Area #1.  NASA does not require use of a specific template for the budget details or narrative. Question 8: The solicitation asks for the following documents: "preliminary Concept of Operations, the approach to ISS integration, and on-orbit resource requirements including specific requirements for mass, volume, power and data from the ISS."  Where can proposers find templates or instructions on how to complete these documents since there is no information in the NRA Guidebook?Answer 8:  NASA does not require use of a standard template. Question 9: Can proposals include the purchase of non-research based goods and services from other entities?Answer 9:  Yes, direct purchase of non-research based supplies and/or services from U.S. owned entities or from non-U.S. owned sources by U.S. award recipients is permitted. Any research based efforts obtained by non-U.S. owned sources shall not be funded via an award received from the U.S. Government.                                                                                   ***End of Modification 5***This is Modification 4 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021. The purpose of this modification is to post an additional Question and Answer received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 6: Is it required that our phase 1 proposal use the ISS? Or is that criteria still considered a pass if the use of the ISS was a milestone to be achieved in a later phase.Answer 6: NASA expects that proposals seeking Phase 1 and Phase 2 awards will require use of the ISS National Lab to conduct flight demonstrations.                                                                      ***End of Modification 4***This is Modification 3 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021. The purpose of this modification is to post an additional Question and Answer received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 5: Is a letter of intent required as part of the White Paper submission?Answer 5: No, it is not required.  Focus Area 1 specifies in the required content for full proposals that letters of intent should be included as part of the Business Approach. However, only a summary of the Business Approach is required for White Papers, and it is at the discretion of the proposer to determine how best to summarize the business approach.                                                                      ***End of Modification 3***This is Modification 2 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021. The purpose of this modification is to 1) Update InSPA Focus Area 1; 2) Update Paragraph F of the NRA; and 3) Post an additional Question and Answer received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 4: Please clarify if the reference to “Market Readiness Level” in Focus Area #1 description of phases is intended to be “Manufacturing Readiness Level”.Answer 4: The text correctly states “Market Readiness Level” as a measure of the commercial viability of a technology and readiness to successfully enter the market.  The text includes a link to an industry website as a reference for background and definition of Market Readiness Levels.                                                                      ***End of Modification 2***This is Modification 1 to solicitation 80JSC022InSPA originally posted on October 6, 2021. The purpose of this modification is to post Questions and Answers received in response to this solicitation as follows:Question 1: Is submitting a white paper required, or can offerors skip that step and submit a full proposal?Answer 1: Submitting a white paper allows NASA to evaluate key aspects of your concept against the stated evaluation criteria and to include recommendations for items that warrant consideration in your proposal.  However, proposers are not required to submit a white paper.  NASA does not expect to act on any early proposal submittals until after the proposal deadline on January 28, 2022.Question 2:  What is the allowed length of a proposed project (in years), and what is the allowed budget?Answer 2: There is no set duration nor budget for individual awards under this Focus Area 1.  NASA encourages investigators to move at their pace, but as quickly as possible to accelerate iteration and learning.  There are experienced Implementation Partners (see link in solicitation) who can provide guidance on what to expect during the ISS integration process.Question 3:  Is funding for this opportunity only provided to the implementation partner or will there be funds for both university and Implementation Partners?Answer 3: NASA funding is available to support the full scope of the proposed work, including research studies, hardware development, and implementation partner costs (where applicable) subject to the guideline for non-NASA investment as described in the solicitation.                                                                         ***End of Modification 1***The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is announcing an opportunity for U.S. businesses seeking to develop and demonstrate In Space Production Applications (InSPA) on the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory (NL). This opportunity will be through the International Space Station (ISS) NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNJ13ZBG001N, Focus Area 1 “In Space Production Applications (InSPA)”, link here: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId=%7b21E0270C-BC1F-EFC4-3D87-30713B5FF373%7d&path=openThe International Space Station remains the premier microgravity research and development laboratory for those seeking to develop and demonstrate advanced materials and emerging technologies in the area of in-space production and manufacturing of products for use on Earth.  NASA intends to make awards through this Focus Area 1 to small and large U.S. businesses that seek to develop and demonstrate on the ISS technologies that lead to commercially viable and sustainable In Space Production Applications (InSPA) in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Strategic Goals: The Government hopes to accomplish three major goals as a result of awards made under the InSPA effort: Serving national interests by developing technologies that strengthen U.S. technological leadership, improve national security, and create high-quality jobs.Providing benefits to humanity by developing products that significantly improve the quality of life for people on Earth.Enabling the development of an economy in LEO by stimulating scalable and sustainable non-NASA utilization of future commercial LEO destinations or orbital platforms. Reference for more information: https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy/opportunities-to-stimulate-demand.Objectives of this Focus Area: NASA intends through these awards to provide the support needed by U.S. companies during early-stage development to validate game-changing materials and production processes that give U.S. industry a competitive edge in the area of in-space manufacturing and production. Successful proposals will further mature in-space manufacturing concepts that produce high-value items for use on Earth with potential for scalability and capturing sizeable markets, creating new markets, or disrupting existing Earth-based technologies by taking advantage of the unique environment of the ISS NL. Reference NASA’s LEO Economy website for further information about NASA’s strategic goals: https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy/opportunities-to-stimulate-demand. White Paper proposals are due November 03, 2021, 4:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST).