- Type
- Request for Information
- Dates
- Close
- Dec 02, 2026
- Release
- Sep 02, 2026
- ATMXP26 Proposals Due
- Dec 02, 2026
- Title
- Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP): Atmospheric Exploration Observatory
- Number
- NNH26ZDA015L
- Pdf Text
- NNH26ZDA015L Page 1 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP):
Atmospheric Exploration Observatory
NNH26ZDA015L
Release Date:
September 2, 2026
Proposals Due:
December 2, 2026, 16:00 (4pm) Eastern Time
Proposal Selection:
January 8, 2026 (estimated)
Earth Science Division
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Aeronautics and Space Administration
For Questions Regarding This Announcement:
Contact HQ-ESDPartnerships@mail.nasa.gov
NNH26ZDA015L Page 2 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.2 Purpose and Partnership Strategy ...................................................................................... 3
1.3 Approach ............................................................................................................................ 4
2. INFORMATION FOR PROPOSERS ..................................................................................... 5
2.1 General Information ........................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Eligibility Requirements .................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Expectations ....................................................................................................................... 5
2.4 Milestones .......................................................................................................................... 6
2.5 Compliance with U.S. Laws, Regulations and Policies ..................................................... 6
2.6 Title and Rights in Personal Property ................................................................................ 8
2.7 Anticipated Funding........................................................................................................... 8
2.8 Use of Government Resources........................................................................................... 9
2.9 Government Proposal Review Personnel......................................................................... 10
2.10 Ombudsman ..................................................................................................................... 10
3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSALS ................................................................................. 10
3.1 Proposal Submission Process........................................................................................... 10
3.2 Proposal Content Requirements ....................................................................................... 11
4. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION ................................................................ 16
4.1 Evaluation Process ........................................................................................................... 17
4.2 Evaluation Criteria ........................................................................................................... 17
4.3 Post Evaluation Activities ................................................................................................ 18
4.4 Selection and Award......................................................................................................... 18
AFPP APPENDIX A: GC Mission Information .............................................................................. 19
AFPP APPENDIX B: NSPIRES Proposal Submission Information ............................................... 25
AFPP APPENDIX C: DRAFT AGREEMENT ............................................................................... 27
NNH26ZDA015L Page 3 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
NASA uses the vantage point of space to observe the Earth and continuously improve our
scientific understanding of Earth’s environment and interconnected systems. With advances in
technology, research, and data processing, NASA instruments and missions have continually
improved the capability, resolution, and frequency of observations leading to advanced
knowledge about the Earth and innovative applications for national benefits.
NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) is exploring partnerships with external organizations to
enable more impactful exploitation of NASA resources and to advance technological innovation,
including through the commercial remote sensing industry This Announcement for Partnership
Proposals (AFPP) invites proposals for innovative partnerships for an atmospheric exploration
observatory. This AFPP envisions one or more partnerships to collaborate on the completion of
the former GeoCarb (GC) instrument, integrate the instrument with a spacecraft, launch, operate,
and share its unique data, potentially with earth science and exoplanet research communities.
GC planned to collect data needed to estimate Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Carbon
Monoxide (CO), and Solar Induced Fluorescence (SIF) from a geostationary vantage point over
the Americas. NASA cancelled the GC Mission in November 2022.
As part of the cancellation close-out steps, the GC project completed most of the instrument
integration which was then put through a limited performance demonstration prior to storage to
show the overall functionality of the integrated subsystems. See Appendix A.1 for more
information on the state of the instrument.
After cancellation of the GC mission as a part of project closure, NASA established a team to
perform an evaluation of the as-delivered GC Instrument. The team concluded that the GC
instrument is not likely to return useful scientific data in its current state. Appendix A has
conclusions from the team.
1.2 Purpose and Partnership Strategy
NASA is exploring partnership opportunities to complete the instrument, integrate the instrument
with a spacecraft, launch, operate, and share the data. The partnership(s) will meet NASA and
partner objectives, and NASA encourages proposals that support the public availability of
atmospheric exploration science data products. Overall, the purpose of the partnership(s) is to
make efficient use of unique national assets (i.e., GC) developed from taxpayer investments.
NASA is interested in innovative partnerships to allow for mission operations; science data
collection, processing, and archiving; calibration efforts; science data availability; ground
systems; and other aspects. NASA is open to all proposals and novel ideas for partnerships,
including delayed data latency/access (delay between when data is generated or requested and
when it becomes available). In addition, NASA will consider multiple partnerships as a result of
this AFPP, as well as partnerships with consortium(s) that involve multiple organizations.
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Through this AFPP, it is expected that a selected partnership proposal would culminate in a
Reimbursable or Non-reimbursable Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
(CRADA) for an Atmospheric Exploration Observatory Partnership (AtmX-P). A CRADA is
authorized under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act (15 USC 3710a) that allows
NASA laboratories to collaborate with non-federal partners (industry, academia, or other
agencies) to assist in the transfer of technology to the marketplace.
Any resultant agreements will define the full roles and responsibilities of NASA and the selected
partners. In all cases, NASA will not provide funding to a partner under an agreement.
1.3 Approach
The proposer should submit a proposal with an in-depth discussion of the concept for
partnership, including a proposed Agreement (see Section 3.2.7 for additional information).
Section 3 has information for the detailed proposal content. Based on NASA’s evaluation of
proposals, NASA will enter into negotiations for AtmX-P agreements with proposals deemed
favorable. The standard period of performance is five years, and the proposer may propose a
shorter period of performance.
NASA will share information and communicate via the NASA Solicitation and Proposal
Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) webpage for this AFPP, which is available
at: https://go.nasa.gov/afppAtmXP (herein referred to as “AtmX-P website”).
NASA may periodically update this website, including announcing meetings with log-on details
for interested parties. It is the responsibility of interested parties and the proposer to stay up to
date with that website and ensure that they have the latest information available. All meetings
and forums will be virtual.
Questions should be submitted via email to the Earth Science Division mailbox (hq-
esdpartnerships@mail.nasa.gov) before November 2, 2026 at 11:59pm eastern time and will be
addressed no later than one week before the proposal submission deadline. Questions received after
the deadline will be answered at NASA’s discretion. NASA will post any materials or products of
any questions and answers (Q&A) or public meetings on the website and not necessarily update
sam.gov. NASA will maintain Q&A document on the website, broadly sharing results of
questions of community interest.
The target schedule is as follows:
• AFPP release on September 2, 2026
• AFPP questions due November 2, 2026
• AFPP Forum: NASA may host a virtual meeting to review received questions and
provide mission information; announcements and log in information forthcoming on
https://go.nasa.gov/afppAtmXP
• Optional Intent Email: Due November 18, 2026 (11:59pm) ET. The email should
contain the name of the submitting institution(s) and a sentence indicating intent to
submit a full proposal. Example language to include, “[Insert Submitting Institution
Name] intends to submit a full proposal to the AtmX-P AFPP.”
• Proposals: Due December 2, 2026, 16:00 (4pm) Eastern Time
NNH26ZDA015L Page 5 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
• Selection: Depending on the number of proposals received, within 30 business days of
proposal deadline.
This period may include due diligence discussions with the proposers. NASA reserves
the right to ask additional clarifications of the proposers as needed. These discussions
may extend beyond the 30-day target.
• AtmX-P Selection: Expected within two months of proposal deadline. Depending upon
agreement negotiations, a partnership could become active within two months of
selection, subject to additional time as needed.
2. INFORMATION FOR PROPOSERS
2.1 General Information
AtmX-P Website: https://go.nasa.gov/afppAtmXP
Optional Intent Email Proposers are encouraged to send a short email indicating their intent
to submit a full proposal. Please send the optional intent notification to
HQ-ESDPartnerships@mail.nasa.gov at
least two weeks prior to proposal due date
Proposals Due: December 2, 2026 by 16:00 (4pm) ET
AtmX-P Contact: Beth Weinstein
Earth Science Division, Science Mission Directorate
HQ-ESDPartnerships@mail.nasa.gov
All questions shall be directed to the above e-mail.
2.2 Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for award under this announcement, an entity must be organized under the laws of
the United States or of a State and be more than 50 percent owned by United States nationals.
It is required that this entity, as the lead proposing Partner, will perform a substantial portion of
the Partner’s efforts for the AtmX-P partnership as well as serving as the overall manager of the
effort.
Partner may propose to team with a US domestic company to provide the launch vehicle. In
accordance with National Space Transportation Policy, the proposed launch vehicle must be
manufactured in the United States. Except for the launch vehicle, Partner may propose teaming
relationships with international entities for other aspects of the AtmX-P partnership, including
science teams. However, all teaming arrangements are subject to the restrictions contained in
Section 2.5, below.
2.3 Expectations
NASA seeks innovative partnerships that will use and complete the GC instrument, integrate the
instrument with a spacecraft, launch, operate, and share its unique data. NASA is open to all
creative proposals and novel ideas for productive partnerships. The specific partnerships will be
NNH26ZDA015L Page 6 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
based on proposals from the proposers. This section includes some expectations for proposers to
consider or incorporate in their proposals.
Under this AFPP, NASA will consider loaning the GC instrument to an external organization, but
NASA will retain ownership of the hardware..
NASA will not provide funding to a partner under these agreements. However, an AFPP will
allow proposers to identify areas where they request NASA assistance to enable activities (see
Section 2.8), which will be considered as part of the proposal evaluation process.
Proposers are reminded that goods, services, facilities, or equipment provided under an
agreement are provided on a best-effort basis and "as is" and therefore the Partner’s decision to
utilize NASA-provided goods, services, facilities, or equipment will be at the Partner’s risk. The
partner will be responsible for any additional desired systems level testing, integrated testing
with any partner systems, mission operations, and dissemination of AtmX-P-generated data in
accordance with the terms of the resulting agreement. NASA makes no express or implied
warranty as to the condition of any such goods, services, facilities, or equipment, or as to the
condition of any research or information provided under an agreement.
The proposer will have to comply with export control issues that might emerge when handling
and operating the observatory.
Written permission from NASA is required for any major changes to GC hardware, orbit, and
software before changes are made, which may depend on ownership of these items.
Proposers may propose to use capabilities that align with other U.S. Government efforts the
proposer may have under separate contract or agreement.
2.4 Milestones
An agreement will include a section on Schedule and Milestones. This section serves as a guide
for ensuring efforts remain on track for the partnership while maintaining an acceptable level of
risk to accomplish the AtmX-P purpose; information provided at the milestones will be used to
assess the continued viability of the partnership. Proposers will provide suggested milestones in
their proposals, as described in Section 3.2. Final milestones will be part of negotiations for an
agreement.
2.5 Compliance with U.S. Laws, Regulations and Policies
Proposers must comply with all applicable U.S. laws, regulations and policies, including but not
limited to safety, security, export control, environmental, suspension and debarment laws and
regulations, and establishment of an Interconnection Security Agreement when applicable.
Further, awardees and team members must not be restricted by any government sanctions.
With respect to export control, the entity awarded the agreement shall be required to comply with
all U.S. export control laws including Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Awardees shall be responsible for ensuring
NNH26ZDA015L Page 7 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
that all persons who will perform work under the agreement are eligible under export control
laws, EAR, and ITAR.
Additionally, pursuant to The Department of Defense and Full-Year Appropriation Act, Public
Law 112-10, Section 1340(a); The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriation Act of
2012, Public Law 112-55, Section 539; and future-year appropriations (hereinafter, "the Acts"),
NASA is restricted from using appropriated funds to enter into or fund any agreement of any
kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally with China or any Chinese-owned
company, at the prime recipient level and at all subrecipient levels, whether the bilateral
involvement is funded or performed under a no-exchange of funds partnership. Accordingly,
proposals involving bilateral participation, collaboration, or coordination in any way with China
or any Chinese-owned company, whether funded or performed under a no-exchange-of-funds
partnership, will be ineligible for award. By submitting a proposal, the proposer is certifying that
it is not China or a Chinese-owned company, and that the proposer will not participate,
collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally with China or any Chinese-owned company, at the prime
recipient level or at any subrecipient level, whether the bilateral involvement is funded or
performed under a no-exchange of funds partnership. “China or Chinese-owned Company”
means the People’s Republic of China, any company owned by the People’s Republic of China,
or any company incorporated under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. This restriction
does not apply to the purchase from Chinese-owned entities of commercial items of supply
needed to perform the agreement.
Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, “Prohibition on Certain
Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment,” prohibits, inter alia, the
Federal Government, Federal Government contractors, and grant and loan recipients from
procuring or using any equipment, system, or service that uses “covered telecommunications
equipment or services” (as defined in Section 889(f)(3)) as a substantial or essential component
of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system. Due to the nature of the work to be
executed under this agreement, in performing this agreement, proposer agrees to not acquire or
use, in any manner whatsoever or at any tier, “covered telecommunications equipment or
services” (as defined in Section 889(f)(3)) as a substantial or essential component of any system,
or as critical technology as part of any system.”
Entities that intend to rely on Russian suppliers shall comply with the Iran, North Korea, and
Syria Nonproliferation Act (P.L. 106-178, amended by P.L. 107-228, P.L. 109-112, P.L. 109353,
P.L. 110-329, P.L. 112-273, P.L. 116-94; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note) (INKSNA) and any other
applicable sanctions law (including, but not limited to, the Chemical and Biological Weapons
Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, 22 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.; Countering America’s
Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, P.L. 115-44 (Aug. 2, 2017); and the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) during the agreement performance. INKSNA
prohibits payments to organizations or entities that are now or were in the past under the
jurisdiction or control of Roscosmos (the Russian Federal Space Agency), or to any other
organization, entity, or element of the Government of Russia for goods or services directly
related to human spaceflight, other than for work on the International Space Station (ISS).
INKSNA currently prohibits NASA from making payments in cash or in kind after December 31,
2025, for work on the ISS to the foregoing listed entities and imposes reporting and assessment
NNH26ZDA015L Page 8 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
requirements. NASA has applied the restrictions in this Act to include NASA funding of Russian
entities via U.S. entities.
Proposer’s attentions are further directed to the following non-exhaustive list of potentially
applicable U.S. laws, regulations, and policies:
• U.S. Space Transportation Policy, November 2013
• U.S. National Space Policy, December 2020
• 51 U.S.C. Chapter 501 – Space Commerce
• 51 U.S.C Chapter 509 – Commercial Space Launch Activities
To protect the ability to successfully complete mission objectives, the mission shall employ
cybersecurity safeguards. NASA has captured recent cyber security best practices in a series of
requirements that are briefly outlined below. Approaches to cyber security will be assessed and
reviewed as part of the technical evaluation criteria. Proposers should adopt best practices equivalent
to the NASA and NIST requirements noted below.
• Project Protection (Spacecraft) NASA-STD-1006A Space System Protection Standard1.
o Command Stack Protection and Backup
o Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) resilience from full or temporary loss
o Interference Training and Reporting
• Cybersecurity
o Inventory: Accurately document, track, and report all components to System Security
Plans
o Operating System (OS) Management: Architect to allow seamless OS and Software
upgrades
o Security Plan Management: Align to NIST 800-53 with Authorization to Operate
(ATO)/ and ongoing in Phase E
o Vulnerability Management: Architect to allow frequent and continuous security
patches
o Protection: implement Zero Trust
• Operational Security (OPSEC)
o Acknowledge adversarial threats to mission exists
o Limit the exposure of data that benefit adversaries
o Identify, control, and protect information associated with planning and execution of
mission
To protect the ability to successfully complete mission objectives, the mission shall employ
conjunction analysis screenings and plan for risk-mitigation collision avoidance maneuvers.
2.6 Title and Rights in Personal Property
Title to all personal property acquired or developed by a Partner for the AtmX-P activity will
remain with the Partner. All personal property acquired or developed by the government will
remain U.S. Government property.
2.7 Anticipated Funding
1 Access to NASA standards can be obtained at standards.nasa.gov.
NNH26ZDA015L Page 9 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
NASA will not provide funding to Partners through agreements made under this AFPP. Partners
are expected to secure all the funding necessary to perform their obligations under the agreement.
The proposal content outlined below (Section 3.2) requires partners to discuss their financial plan
and capability to execute the partnership. Partners are allowed to propose and request non-
reimbursed cost expenditures from NASA as described in Section 2.8.
The Government’s obligation to enter into and continue performance of these agreements is
contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds. If NASA is requested to, and agrees to,
provide resources on a non-reimbursable basis, then NASA reserves the right to prioritize that
work against other competing priorities based upon changing appropriations, and NASA will
discuss such potential changes with the partner, if needed.
2.8 Use of Government Resources
Following award under this announcement, NASA seeks to expend no funds in support of the
AtmX mission, including partnership activities, beyond the non-reimbursable support activities
outlined below (see NASA Collaboration Equipment and Services subsection below).
NASA Collaboration Equipment and Services. This will generally be the same for all AtmX-P
proposers and may consist of:
• NASA partnership point of contact
• NASA subject matter expert on mission history, components, and documentation
• NASA attendance at any regularly scheduled reviews of progress under the partnership.
• NASA provision of appropriate access to GC hardware, software, and documentation.
• NASA observation of Partner milestones.
• NASA review of Partner-driven proposed changes to the GC hardware, software, and/or
operations.
• NASA archiving and distribution of any base GC-generated science data products listed
in Appendix A Table 1 produced and provided under the partnership during and after
mission operations.
• NASA may consider providing test facilities to support the partnership
The NASA “Collaboration Equipment and Services” will be provided at no cost to the Partner, as
resources permit. NASA intends to self-fund the NASA “Collaboration Equipment and Services”,
therefore funding for NASA “Collaboration Equipment and Services” will not be evaluated as
part of the cost evaluation criterion. Proposers should not estimate these costs.
Proposals to this AFPP may request that additional NASA services be performed to support the
partnership via reimbursement. In responding to this AFPP, NASA encourages proposers
requesting NASA services to be as specific and exhaustive as possible in their proposals about
the type of Government resources, the amount of each type, projected NASA workforce and time
needed to support the service (if known) and the anticipated schedule that they are proposing. All
NASA-provided goods, services, facilities, or equipment shall be provided on a best-effort and
“as-is” basis, and therefore the Partner’s decision to utilize NASA-provided goods, services,
facilities, or equipment will be at the Partner’s risk. In order to assess NASA pricing for
reimbursed NASA services, proposers may email HQ-ESDPartnerships@mail.nasa.gov in order
NNH26ZDA015L Page 10 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
to inquire about potential pricing. NASA will store information about the potential capability and
cost that it may provide in a format that would be made available to all proposers.
Some Partner uses of NASA data may require a separate Data Usage Agreement. Partner uses of
some NASA software may require a separate Software Usage Agreement. Partner’s uses of
NASA technology may require a separate License Agreement. The Partner use of loaned NASA
equipment may require a separate Loan Agreement.
During the term of the agreement, NASA and the Partner may determine that the agreement will
need to be amended to reflect certain support requests, revise the Partner’s Milestones, and/or the
responsibilities of NASA and/or the Partner as may arise during performance of the agreement.
2.9 Government Proposal Review Personnel
The Government may use contractor support personnel to assist in providing technical and business
expertise in the evaluation of proposals. Any support contractor involvement in the evaluation
process shall be free of conflicts of interest, will be bound by appropriate conflicts of interest
provisions and non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary and competition sensitive
information, and must have accepted limitations on future contracting.
By submitting a proposal under this Announcement, the proposer is deemed to have consented to
release of data in its proposal to NASA contractors supporting evaluation of proposals under suitable
protective conditions.
2.10 Ombudsman
An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from
interested parties concerning the selection process for this Announcement. Interested parties
include the proposer, potential proposers, and agreement signatories. The existence of the
Ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the NASA Agreements Officer, the Proposal
Evaluation Panel, the Selection Authority, or any formal adjudication of a matter related to this
Announcement. Interested parties are not to contact the Ombudsman to request copies of the
Announcement, verify proposal due date, or clarify provisions of the Announcement. Such
inquiries shall be directed to the AtmX-P Contact specified in Section 2.1 of this Announcement.
Before consulting with the Ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns,
issues, disagreements, or recommendations to the NASA Agreements Officer for resolution.
If resolution cannot be made by the NASA Agreements Officer, interested parties may contact the
Ombudsman. At their discretion, the Ombudsman may request that an interested party submit
any concerns, issues, disagreements, or recommendations in writing. Submissions or inquiries
made to either the NASA Agreements Officer or the Ombudsman will not suspend the selection
process, the award(s), or the performance of the resulting agreement(s). The Ombudsman may be
contacted at: HQ-SMD-Agreement-Ombudsman@mail.nasa.gov.
3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSALS
3.1 Proposal Submission Process
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3.1.1 NASA will not issue paper copies of this Announcement. NASA provides no funding for
direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Proposals submitted in response to
this Announcement will not be returned. It is the policy of NASA to treat all proposals as
sensitive competitive information and to disclose the contents only for the purposes of
evaluation.
3.1.2 Eligible organizations may submit one or more proposals. Each proposal must be a
separate, stand-alone concept of a proposed partnership for the purposes of evaluation.
3.1.3 Proposers shall submit a proposal via NSPIRES – https://go.nasa.gov/afppAtmXP.
Proposals must be submitted as unlocked PDF-formatted documents (Proposal and
appendices should be separate documents). Graphics are allowed but not required. All
electronic proposal submissions should be searchable and should not contain scanned
documents, except those documents that must be provided in their native format. The
proposer shall ensure documents are free from viruses and malware, as documents
determined by NASA to contain a virus or malware will not be opened or evaluated. See
Appendix B for more information on the AFPP submittal to NSPIRES.
3.1.4 Proposers are encouraged to label files with the following naming conventions:
Organization Name - AtmX-P - Proposal.pdf
Organization Name - AtmX-P - Appendix #.pdf
where the # specifies the appendix number, if applicable. Unless specifically authorized by
the AtmX-P Contact, alternate proposal submissions shall not be submitted.
3.1.5 The proposer is responsible for ensuring its proposal is loaded into NSPIRES by the stated
deadline. The Government is not responsible for any failure attributable to the transmission
or receipt of documents submitted using electronic means, including the missing of any
submission requirements and established deadlines. The electronic submission of the
proposal shall contain all information required by the AFPP to be determined responsive.
3.2 Proposal Content Requirements
3.2.1 Proposals
Proposals shall consist of six sections and five appendices as described below. Section I,
Executive Summary, shall be limited to three pages. The remaining sections in total shall not
exceed 30 pages, using 12-point Times New Roman font, single space pages with one-inch
margins; tables and figures may use 8-point type or larger. There is no page limit on the
appendices. Any information included in an appendix which is out of scope of that appendix as
defined herein shall not be considered. Title pages, Section and Appendix Cover pages, Tables of
contents, List of figures, List of tables, and List of acronyms are excluded from the specified
page counts.
Proposals are encouraged to use one or more diagrams to convey their proposed concepts and
partnership responsibilities.
Proposal documents shall be submitted using the following outline:
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Section I Executive Summary
Section II Organization and Purpose
Section III Technical Approach
T1. Approach for Completion of Instrument, Integration, and Launch
T2. Concept of Operations
T3. Development Plan
T4. Data Plan
Section IV Management Approach
M1. Management
M2. Compliance
M3. Schedule and Development Plan
M4. Insight Approach
M5. Risks
M6. Partnership
Section V Budget and Financial Plan
B1. Budget and Financing
B2. NASA Support
Separately uploaded documents:
Appendix 1 Proposed Agreement, including proposed mods
Appendix 2 Proposed Government Resources
Appendix 3 Supplemental Business Data
Appendix 4 Proposed Technical Implementation Plan
Appendix 5 Schedule
3.2.2 Proposal Section I: Executive Summary
The Executive Summary describes the prominent and distinguishing features of the purpose,
management, and technical approach of the proposed AtmX-P. The Executive Summary should
include the following:
• Description of proposing organization or consortium of organizations, including the
mission, strategy, and objectives and how GC and this partnership is relevant
• Proposed technical and management approach to delivering, operating, and achieving
goals of AtmX-P as stated in Section 1.
• Summary of Proposer experience and ability to develop a AtmX-P capability, to fund it,
and to see it through to launch, operations, and data sharing
• Preliminary approach to data aspects and data rights, including which mission science data
products will be provided to NASA and any restrictions on delay, use, and distribution
• Planned approach to provide insight necessary to ensure continued NASA confidence in
AtmX-P
• Summary of the type(s) and magnitude of NASA support requested (see Section 2.8)
• Proposed schedule, including major testing, integration, and launch milestones, target
date to start mission operations, and proposed length of operations
The Executive Summary shall confirm whether the proposer meets the eligibility requirements of
AFPP section 2.2 and complies with the requirements of AFPP section 2.5. The Executive
Summary shall indicate whether the proposal is contingent upon acceptance by NASA of any
NNH26ZDA015L Page 13 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
changes to the terms and conditions of the agreement contained in this AFPP. The Executive
Summary shall stand alone and not directly reference the other sections of the proposal.
3.2.3 Proposal Section II: Organization and Purpose
This section shall describe the proposer’s organization or consortium of organizations as it relates
to the proposed AtmX-P, including the proposer’s mission, strategy, and objectives. This section
shall describe the relevance of AtmX-P to the proposer’s organizational mission, strategy, and
objectives. Proposers shall provide sufficient information to establish organizational relevance,
alignment, and commitment.
3.2.4 Proposal Section III: Technical Approach
This section shall describe the technical aspects of the proposed concept and approach for AtmX-
P. Proposers shall provide sufficient information to establish confidence in their plan to convey
an understanding of the viability of the approach.
T1. Approach for Completion of Instrument, Integration, and Launch
The Proposer shall describe its technical approach to complete development of the
instrument, to integrate the instrument with a spacecraft, and to launch the instrument. The
Proposer shall identify any additional testing or design changes to the GC Instrument,
providing NASA with sufficient technical rationale for the work. The Proposer shall
describe its experience and demonstrated ability to execute its proposed approach.
T2. Concept of Operations
The Proposer shall provide an executable approach for all operational aspects (e.g.,
instrument operations, spacecraft operations, ground operations) of the Instrument. The
Proposal shall outline its approach to cybersecurity,
T3. Development Plan
The Proposer shall describe any elements that are under development or to be developed,
describe work completed to date, and the technical approach for completing development
and production of the capability for conducting any planned tests or demonstrations.
T4. Data Plan
The Proposer shall describe the technical aspects of its proposed data plan. The Proposer
shall describe the plan to collect, produce, and distribute AtmX-P-generated data. The
Proposer shall include in this plan which of the GC data products are anticipated to be
produced, including the proposed approach to public data availability, latency, use, and
distribution, as applicable. The Proposed shall describe the relative priority of this science
data collection relative to other proposer activities and objectives. The Proposer can
provide its assessment of how well the plan serves NASA's Open Science objectives. The
Proposer shall describe its experience with similar data-related activities, as applicable.
3.2.5 Proposal Section IV: Management Approach
This section shall describe the management and implementation aspects of the Proposer’s
proposed concept and approach for AtmX-P. Proposers shall provide sufficient information to
NNH26ZDA015L Page 14 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
establish confidence in their plan, feasibility of a partnership, realism of schedule, understanding
of the risks, and viability of the approach.
M1. Management
The Proposer shall describe the management and programmatic aspects of its proposed
AtmX-P approach, including, but not limited to, the following:
• Identification of key proposer resources such as personnel, facilities, intellectual
property, and other assets required. State which of these do not yet exist and indicate
plans to acquire them.
• Major team members and suppliers including respective roles and contributions to the
project. Team members and suppliers can span sectors, such as for-profit, non-profit,
philanthropic, and government entities. (The Proposer should include letters of
commitment from the primary partners and/or suppliers in Appendix 3). The Proposer
shall identify whether the proposed teaming partnership includes non-US team
members, specifying the country in which the team member is incorporated or
otherwise resides.
• Management plan to manage the proposed work, such as the team structure,
communications, and other aspects describing how the proposal team plans to
conduct its work.
The Proposer shall identify any proposed or current Government relationships, such as
contracts or agreements that are directly related to the proposed AtmX-P, describe how
they are related, and discuss whether they present any risks or conflicts of interest.
M2. Compliance
The Proposer shall describe how its proposal complies with the eligibility requirements
specified in AFPP Section 2.2; proposers are expected to self-certify compliance. The
Proposer shall describe how its proposal complies with applicable Federal laws,
regulations, and policies specified in AFPP Section 2.5. If proposers intend to rely on
Russian suppliers, the proposer shall explain how its Russian supplier is not a prohibited
entity under INKSNA or any other applicable sanctions law, and how the proposer will
conduct its development effort without providing technical assistance to the prohibited
entity during the term of the agreement.
M3. Schedule and Development Plan
The Proposer shall summarize its proposed schedule and development plan for its
proposed approach, and address the driving critical paths, key dependencies, realism of
the schedule, and key milestones (Milestones should represent significant technical and
implementation progress and should include a descriptive title and planned achievement
dates.). The Proposer shall describe the anticipated schedule of any NASA resources that
may be requested of NASA (see Section 2.8); however, the Proposer shall accept that
NASA responses and participation are on a ‘best effort’ basis. (The Proposer may provide
supplemental schedule information in Appendix 5.)
M4. Insight approach [For Non-Reimbursable Approaches Only]
The Proposer shall describe the proposed level of insight given to NASA during the
partnership life cycle, including insight into the Proposer’s development plans, such that
NNH26ZDA015L Page 15 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP
NASA will be sufficiently informed on partnership progress/milestones/lifecycle reviews,
changes to teaming and leadership, and the overall viability of continuing with the
partnership.
M5 Risks
The Proposer shall describe the programmatic (cost and schedule) and technical risks
associated with its proposed approach, the likelihood and consequence of each risk, and its
plans to manage and mitigate the risks. The Proposer shall describe how its experience may
reduce risk toward a successful AtmX-P.
M6. Partnership
The proposer shall describe its openness and willingness to engage with other
organizations in the event that NASA selects more than one proposal for an agreement.
3.2.6 Proposal Section V: Budget and Financial Plan
This section shall describe the budget and financial aspects of the proposed concept and approach
for AtmX-P. Proposers shall provide sufficient information to establish confidence in the proposed
plan, financial feasibility, and viab
- Documents
- Url
- https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument?cmdocumentid=1163855&solicitationId={610377D0-E688-C87C-A782-7F901F09C1DD}&viewSolicitationDocument=1
- Title
- Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP): Atmospheric Exploration Observatory (.pdf)
- Url
- https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument?cmdocumentid=1163856&solicitationId={610377D0-E688-C87C-A782-7F901F09C1DD}&viewSolicitationDocument=1
- Title
- Non-reimbursable CRADA Template (.docx)
- Url
- https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument?cmdocumentid=1163857&solicitationId={610377D0-E688-C87C-A782-7F901F09C1DD}&viewSolicitationDocument=1
- Title
- Reimbursable CRADA Template (.docx)
- Directorate
- Science Mission Directorate
- File Excerpt
- NNH26ZDA015L Page 1 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP National Aeronautics and Space Administration Announcement for Partnership Proposals (AFPP): Atmospheric Exploration Observatory NNH26ZDA015L Release Date: September 2, 2026 Proposals Due: December 2, 2026, 16:00 (4pm) Eastern Time Proposal Selection: January 8, 2026 (estimated) Earth Science Division Science Mission Directorate NASA Aeronautics and Space Administration For Questions Regarding This Announcement: Contact HQ-ESDPartnerships@mail.nasa.gov NNH26ZDA015L Page 2 of 27 NASA AtmX-P AFPP Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.2 Purpose and Partnership Strategy 1.3 Approach 2. INFORMATION FOR PROPOSERS 2.1 General Information 2.2 Eligibility Requirements 2.3 Expectations 2.4 Milestones 2.5 Compliance with U.S.
- Release Date
- Sep 02, 2026
- Contact Email
- hq-esdpartnerships@mail.nasa.gov
- Proposals Due
- Dec 02, 2026
NASA Earth Science Division, Science Mission DirectorateIssuing agency·Washington, DC·via a public procurement portal