NOAA RFI on Space Weather Instruments
On September 13, 2021, NOAA released a Solar Coronagraph Development and Related Capabilities request for information (RFI) seeking industry interest and capabilities to produce space-based coronagraphs which would be deployed on satellites in near-Earth and deep space orbits on the Sun-Earth line, and off-Sun-Earth line.
Responses to this RFI will be used to form an acquisition strategy for coronagraphs to sustain and extend NOAA’s observational capability and to facilitate advances in space weather prediction and forecasting.
Currently, NOAA’s compact coronagraph (CCOR) instruments are being developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). NOAA acknowledges there is industry interest to collaborate in the development of CCOR technology being developed by NRL, and to independently develop coronagraph technology. Any industry partner who wishes to collaborate in the development of the CCOR technology with NRL is required to be certified in the Department of Defense’s Joint Certification Program (JCP) in order to access unclassified military technical data belonging to the Department of Defense.
The RFI will be open for 45 days with responses due no later than October 28, 2021, 2:00 PM ET.
This RFI supports NOAA’s continuing efforts to partner with the commercial sector in innovative ways in support of its operational space-based space weather mission.