The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is looking for information on commercial space-based data relay (SBDR) capabilities to improve satellite data availability and resilience.
According to a recent request for information (RFI), NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) plans to transition away from government-owned and operated satellite services to commercial satellites. Therefore, NESDIS needs cost-effective commercial technologies like SBDR to improve space-ground communications and mission operations.
“NESDIS is formulating plans for transition to a common services-based enterprise ground architecture that is both supportive of NOAA’s next-generation satellite observing systems and responsive to new and evolving threats and opportunities,” reads the RFI.
NESDIS wants SBDR capabilities that are either deployable within five years into in-development satellite platforms or that can facilitate out-of-the-box communications to on-orbit satellites. Those capabilities must be able to relay critical telemetry and command data, as well as higher-rate science mission data, to and from NOAA satellites.
The responses to the RFI should address the following:
- Capability to adapt and scale to NOAA’s satellite observation missions;
- Multi-Missions/Spacecrafts support;
- Support for global low latency;
- Open and resilient architecture for multi-use interoperability and evolvable space infrastructure;
- Standardization of interfaces between NOAA assets and commercial capabilities to minimize unique development;
- Compatibility with emerging DoD standards;
- Data Integrity/Encryption Capabilities;
- Space communication network and/or ground communication network architectures that will be used for SBDR and their performance expectations;
- New Satcom technologies with high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and other emerging technologies with anticipated high TRL level by 2027; and
- Cost and Schedule supporting the implementation of Commercial Capabilities.
All responses to the RFI are due by Sept. 8, 2022.
