Notice of Intent to Sole Source for Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) Extended Host Operations
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) has issued a Notice of Intent to Sole Source for Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) Extended Host Operations. NASA intends to award a contract to SES Space and Defense for continued hosting of the TEMPO Instrument on the Intelsat IS-40e spacecraft. Responses from interested organizations are due by May 8, 2026.
Scope of Work
This requirement involves providing on-orbit operations for the NASA-developed TEMPO Instrument as a Hosted Payload (HP) on an Intelsat IS-40e spacecraft and delivering TEMPO Hosted Payload data. Key services include:
- Operating the host geostationary spacecraft (IS-40e) at 91W longitude, supporting power, thermal, and data interfaces.
- Passing commands to the TEMPO Instrument from another Government contractor.
- Relaying TEMPO scientific and housekeeping data to a Government contractor data processing facility.
- Monitoring host spacecraft health and status for anomalies impacting TEMPO.
- Safely deactivating the Hosted Payload at mission end.
- Meeting legal and commercial requirements for orbital debris/end-of-life disposal.
- Developing and providing Host Spacecraft predicted ephemeris data.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Notice of Intent to Sole Source (Presolicitation)
- Intended Contractor: SES Space and Defense
- Authority: FAR 6.103-1 (Only one responsible source)
- Acquisition Method: Commercial service using FAR Part 12
- Set-Aside: None specified (sole source)
- Response Due: May 8, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
- Published: May 4, 2026
Evaluation
NASA LaRC intends to issue a sole source contract to SES Space and Defense, citing that SES owns and operates both the host satellite and the ground stations, making them uniquely capable of providing these services. Interested organizations with required capabilities must submit a capability statement (no more than 5 pages) electronically via NASA’s Box. These statements will be evaluated solely to determine if a competitive acquisition is feasible, with the final decision at the Government's discretion.
Additional Notes
NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. Contact information for the Center Ombudsman is provided in the original notice.