Closed — responses were due 12 Oct 2026 · No Set aside used · Department of the Air Force, DoD · Kirtland AFB, NM · NAICS 541715 · Solicitation FA945326XA001
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A newer version of this notice has been posted. SAM.gov republished solicitation FA945326XA001 on 22 October 2026. This page is kept because it is a real record, but the current requirement, dates and attachments are on the latest version. Read the latest version →
What happened next
This solicitation has closed — responses were due 12 October 2026.
No award notice on SAM.gov yet. Not every award is posted there, so this does not mean it went unawarded.
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FedSift read the solicitation and pulled out what decides a bid, quoting the document wherever it makes a claim. Analysed 20 September 2026.
What is being bought
Research, design, development, testing, and demonstration of a Secure by-Design Space Vehicle (SDSV) system to mitigate cyber threats to national critical space missions.
Design and construct space vehicle flat-sat and cyber range.
Integrate flat-sat with cyber-range for subsystem verification.
Initiate cyber-hardening of space vehicle flight software.
Assess hardened solution performance against baseline.
Develop cyber-attack scenarios and evaluate defensive effectiveness.
Develop CONOPs and COAs for cyber detection, protection, and recovery.
Competition
Full and open competition — no set-aside restrictions; any responsible offeror may bid.
Deal-breakers
White papers for other technology areas will not be accepted unless a specific CALL is posted.
“White Papers addressing any other technology area... will not be accepted at this time” — SAM.gov description
White papers or proposals received after the due dates and times will be considered late.
“white papers or proposals received after the due dates and times shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215- 1(c)(3).” — SAM.gov description
Key risk
An Offeror is ineligible for award if a proposal is submitted without first submitting a white paper.
“An Offeror submitting a proposal without first submitting a white paper will not be eligible for an award.” — p. 10
With a free account:
A compliance matrix built from the package — every requirement with the page it came from, exportable to Excel
5 more deal-breakers
5 more key risks
How it will be evaluated — 9 factors
The strategic read: is this worth pursuing, and how to win it
Your fit score and a prime-or-sub recommendation for your company
All 6 documents in the package, downloadable as one ZIP
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Description
FA9453-21-S-0001 Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicle Directorate ANNOUNCEMENT OVERVIEW CALL 017, Topic Area 1. Space Technology Advanced Research - Fast-tracking Innovative Software and Hardware (STAR-FISH) DATE: 26 August 2026 NAICS Code: The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541715 for Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. Federal Agency Name: Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Phillips Research Site ARA Title: Secure by Design Space Vehicle (STAR-FISH), Announcement, procurement for experimentation of spaceflight and space-related signal, energy, and transportation technologies. ARA Number: FA9453-21-S-0001 CALL Type: Two-Step Process, initial announcement CALL Title: Secure by Design Space Vehicle CALL Number: 017 White Papers and/or Proposal Due Date and Time: The Government is requesting White Papers at this time for the Topic Area identified above. White Papers addressing any other technology area identified in the basic Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) will not be accepted at this time unless a CALL for that specific area is posted. White Papers or proposals received after the due dates and times shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215- 1(c)(3). It should be noted that this installation observes strict security procedures to enter the facility. These security procedures are NOT considered an interruption of normal Government processes, and white papers or proposals received after the stated date and time in the CALL as a result of security delays will be considered “late.” Furthermore, if offerors utilize commercial carriers in the delivery of white papers or proposals, they may not honor time-of-day delivery guarantees on military installations. Early submission is encouraged. Brief CALL Summary: See Attachment 3, Statement of Objective (SOO) Submission: Two-Step Process First Step: The due date and time for White Papers submitted in response to this CALL is no later than (NLT) 12 Oct 2026, 1600 (Mountain Standard Time (MST). Question & Answer Session Online – 0900 AM, 17 September 2026 White Papers must be prepared using the provided Template, saved as a PDF and submitted via DoD Safe, (https://safe.apps.mil/) NLT 12 October 2026, 1600 (Mountain Standard Time (MST). In order to submit the White Papers, please contact the Contracting Officer, Mr. Gabriel Salazar, email: gabriel.salazar.3@spaceforce.mil, Ms. Heather Miller, email: heather.miller.16@spaceforce.mil, or Ms. Erika Trujillo; email: erika.trujillo.2@spaceforce.mil ; no later than three (3) workdays prior to the submission deadline to receive a DoD Safe drop-off request. A drop-off request is valid for 14 days. Offerors will receive an automated email containing the instructions for uploading the file(s). If you do not receive an automated e-mail message for your drop-off request within 3 business days, please contact the Contracting Officer. See Attachment 2 (STAR-FISH White Paper Template) for White Paper Template. No classified white paper submission will be accepted. The Template can be accessed and downloaded from the following link: https://valideval.com/star_documents/ (please download a new copy of the template prior to submitting your white paper to ensure that you have the most current version). Each White Paper submitted needs to include the company’s Unique Entity ID (UEI) per System for Award Management (SAM) with the DUNS Number. No classified white paper submissions will be accepted. Second Step: Proposal Due Date and Time – To be provided in “Requests for Proposals (RFP)” sent to offerors whose white papers are selected. Announcement Request: Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate Phillips Research Site is soliciting white papers on the research effort described in Attachment 2 Statement of Objectives pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S.C 4023, Procurement for Experimental Purposes. Announcement Modifications: Reference ARA with CALLS, FA9453-21-S-0001, Announcement Overview and Full Text. Type of Contract/Instrument: The Space Force anticipates awarding Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) contracts that will have a base period and two options “Government has the right not to exercise the option” as a result of this CALL, but also reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research proposed. Please note, the offeror shall have an approved Accounting System in accordance with FAR 16.301-3, Limitations, and other approved Business Systems. Anticipated Number of Awards: The Air Force anticipates awarding multiple contracts. However, the Air Force does reserve the right to make one award, more than one award, or no awards pursuant to this CALL. System for Award Management (SAM) Registration: Reference ARA with CALLS, FA9453- 21-S-0001, Announcement Overview. Points of Contact: Technical Manager (Primary): Mr. Joseph “Dan” Trujillo, AFRL/RJSW, joseph.trujillo.4@spaceforce.mil Program Manager (Alternate): Mr. Manual Gonzales, AFRL/RVFC, manuel.gonzales.9@spaceforce.mil Contracting Officer (Primary): Mr. Gabriel Salazar, gabriel.salazar.3@spaceforce.mil Contracting Officer / Specialist: Heather Miller, heather.miller.16@spaceforce.mil Contracting Specialist: Ms. Erika Trujillo; email: erika.trujillo.2@spaceforce.mil ADVANCED RESEARCH ANNOUNCMENT WITH CALLS FA9453-21-S-0001 Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicle Directorate FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT CALL 017 as of 29 June 2026 NAICS Code: The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541715 for Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), and the small business size standard is 1,000 employees. Federal Agency Name: Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Phillips Research Site ARA Title: Space Technology Advanced Research - Fast-tracking Innovative Software and Hardware (STAR-FISH), Announcement, procurement for experimentation of space-flight and space-related signal, energy, and transportation technologies ARA Number: FA9453-21-S-0001 CALL Type: Two-Step Process, initial announcement CALL Title: Secure by Design Space Vehicle CALL Number: 017 White Paper and/or Proposal Due Date and Time: The Government is requesting White Papers at this time for the Topic Area identified above. White Papers addressing any other technology area identified in the basic Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) will not be accepted at this time unless a CALL for that specific area is posted. White Papers or proposals received after the due dates and times shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215- 1(c)(3). It should be noted that this installation observes strict security procedures to enter the facility. These security procedures are NOT considered an interruption of normal Government processes, and white papers or proposals received after the stated date and time in the CALL as a result of security delays will be considered “late.” Furthermore, if offerors utilize commercial carriers in the delivery of white papers or proposals, they may not honor time-of-day delivery guarantees on military installations. Early submission is encouraged. Submission: Two-Step Process First Step: The due date and time for White Papers submitted in response to this CALL is no later than (NLT) 12 Oct 2026, 1600 (Mountain Standard Time (MST). Question and Answer Session Online - 09:00 AM on 17 September 2026 White Papers must be prepared using the provided Template, saved as a PDF and submitted via DoD Safe, (https://safe.apps.mil/) NLT 12 Oct 2026, 1600 (Mountain Standard Time (MST). In order to submit the White Papers, please contact the Contracting Officer, Mr. Gabriel Salazar, email: gabriel.salazar.3@spaceforce.mil, Ms. Heather Miller, email: heather.miller.16@spaceforce.mil, or Ms. Erika Trujillo; email: erika.trujillo.2@spaceforce.mil no later than three (3) workdays prior to the submission deadline to receive a DoD Safe drop-off request. A drop-off request is valid for 14 days. Offerors will receive an automated email containing the instructions for uploading the file(s). If you do not receive an automated e-mail message for your drop-off request within 3 business days, please contact the Contracting Officer. See Attachment 2 (STAR-FISH White Paper Template) for White Paper Template. The Template can be accessed and downloaded from the following link: https://valideval.com/star_documents/ (please download a new copy of the template prior to submitting your white paper to ensure that you have the most current version). No classified white paper submission will be accepted. Second Step: Proposal Due Date and Time – To be provided in “Requests for Proposals (RFP)” sent to offerors whose white papers are selected. Program Description: Statement of Objectives (SOO)/Description of Technical Areas: Scope: The scope of this effort is to…
Version history
SAM.gov has posted 11 notices under solicitation FA945326XA001, oldest first.
FedSift reads the full solicitation package — every attachment — and pre-extracts the compliance matrix, evaluation factors, key risks, win themes and deal-breakers, each with a verbatim quote and the exact PDF page it came from. It scores the opportunity against your company profile, tells you whether to bid as prime or sub, and ranks teaming partners who could close your gaps.
Source: this notice on SAM.gov. FedSift republishes public federal procurement data and is not affiliated with the U.S. Government. Always confirm dates and requirements against SAM.gov before responding.
