Lawrence Livermore National Security seeks to develop a spacecraft as part of its proposal to be a prime contractor for a mission under the NASA Astrophysics Small Satellite Explorers Program and has issued a request for information concerning the effort.
Arachne Spacecraft Bus
LLNS is looking into possible vendors that can co-engineer the Arachne spacecraft bus, which will house a technology readiness level 6 telescope, according to a sources sought notice posted Wednesday on SAM.gov. The same vendor is expected to ultimately deliver an integrated observatory to a launch services provider.
ROM Requirement
Interested parties must submit rough order of magnitude—or ROM—estimates for the proposed spacecraft bus. The ROM should include cost estimates and a technical writeup. Responses are due Apr. 18.
The selection of LLNS’ proposal by NASA is expected to result in a competitive solicitation for a firm-fixed-price subcontract by calendar year 2026. Full rate production of three units of the spacecraft is projected to begin the following year.
