RFP No. ISSNL 2020-3
The International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory encourages applicants to read the entire solicitation description and proposal instructions carefully before submitting proposed projects to ensure compliance with content and submission guidelines.
The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit concepts that propose use of the ISS National Lab for investigations in the field of materials science, device testing, or other research and development (R&D) areas that require external space exposure. Investigators associated with any U.S.-based institution (academic, government, commercial, or nonprofit) may propose ISS National Lab flight experiments that use the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) Flight Facility, an in-orbit platform from Alpha Space Test and Research Alliance deployed externally onboard the ISS.
The ISS National Lab seeks proposals for devices, new technologies, and materials that are compatible with the MISSE Flight Facility. Proposed flight projects may include:
- Passive exposure: Experiments in which samples are mounted on the outside of the sample carrier and/or under deck and are thus passively exposed to the space environment.
- Active exposure: Powered experiments in which samples are mounted on the outside of the sample carrier and/or under deck, operations are performed, and in-orbit sensors are used to collect data that is stored locally and/or transmitted back to Earth.
Exposure conditions made accessible by the space station’s position in low Earth orbit include but are not limited to atomic oxygen, vacuum, unfiltered ultraviolet radiation, high-energy radiation, impact of meteoroids and orbiting man-made debris, and continuous cycling between extreme high and low temperatures.
Please note that the ISS National Lab will evaluate proposals based on their scientific and technical merits and downstream value potential or Earth benefit. Proposed projects with downstream commercial applications in space must demonstrate the terrestrial economic and/or technical benefit of such applications. Proposals requesting funds for project development costs will not be considered as part of this solicitation. Requested funding may apply only to costs associated with payload integration and services for Alpha Space support. Costs of transportation to and from the space station are covered as part of the ISS National Lab Cooperative Agreement with NASA.
Solicitation Instructions
Proposal Submission Guidelines
The deadline for receipt of complete proposals was May 22, 2020.
Watch the Webinar
We thank you for your interest in conducting research on the ISS National Lab! For questions regarding this solicitation, you are welcome to contact us at [email protected].
** Please verify that none of the information submitted is subject to the export control laws of the United States, such as the EAR or the ITAR; if any information is subject to such laws, please mark all pages containing such information and identify the appropriate export control jurisdiction and classification. **
