SuperHERO Truss/Optical Bench_NOI

NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has a requirement for the design and testing of a truss/optical bench and the development of an alignment monitoring system to be used on the Super High Energy Replicated Optics (SuperHERO) balloon mission. The SuperHERO hard-x-ray telescope is a high-angular resolution successor to MSFC’s successful High Energy Replicated Optic (HERO) and the HERO to Explore the Sun (HEROES) missions.

Flying as a scientific balloon mission, SuperHERO will apply recent developments in MSFC’s replicated full shell, NiCo x-ray optic technology to demonstrate its technical goal of better than 10 arcsecond angular resolution in half-power diameter (HPD). Representing an order-of-magnitude improvement to the current state-of-the-art resolution for hard-x-ray, astrophysical telescopes, SuperHERO will observe the high-energy-universe in unprecedented spatial detail.

On June 12, 2024, the Associated Director for Research, NASA Headquarters, Astrophysics Division, informed NASA/MSFC the Super – High Energy Replicated Optics (SuperHERO) Hard-X-ray Telescope proposal effort led by Dr. Nicholas Thomas (Principal Investigator) had been selected through the competitive processes identified within the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences - 2023 (ROSES-2023) NASA Research Announcement (NRA) Number NNH23ZDA001N.

Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) was identified as team member within the selected proposal. NASA/MSFC intends to issue a sole source contract to acquire the services from WashU under the authority permitting other than full and open competition implemented by FAR 6.302-1 Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial product or commercial service using FAR Part 12. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort electronically via email to Jason Arnold at Jason.l.arnold@nasa.gov not later than 5:00pm Central Standard Time on April 10, 2025. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct this acquisition on a competitive basis.

A determination by the Government not to compete this acquisition on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at : https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf