Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition: HelioSwarm Medium-Class Explorers Mission (Contract 80ARC027C0002)

Open — no response deadline stated · Unrestricted (full and open) · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) · San Antonio, TX · NAICS 541715 · Solicitation 80ARC027C0002

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Solicitation details

Solicitation number	80ARC027C0002
Notice ID	ef82a316de73436a88f719f82fef7ef8
Agency	National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Contracting office	NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER
NAICS code	541715 — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
Product / service code (PSC)	AR13
Set-aside	Unrestricted (full and open)
Notice type	Justification
Posted	04 November 2026
Response deadline	Not stated
Place of performance	San Antonio, TX, USA
Competition	Likely sole source (FedSift estimate from the notice text) — confirm on SAM.gov before investing in a bid

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Description

This notice provides the Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) supporting the sole-source award for HelioSwarm (HS) Medium-Class Explorers (MIDEX) mission. This mission is a transformative mission designed to explore the three-dimensional, dynamic mechanisms controlling the physics of plasma turbulence, a ubiquitous process occurring throughout the heliosphere and the plasma universe at large. The required period of performance is November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. NASA/ARC has awarded Contract 80ARC027C0002 to Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(a)(1), “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.” SwRI is the only responsible source capable of performing the requirements of this action because SwRI is the only responsible source that can continue to meet vital HS requirements and this procurement directly supports achieving mission objectives already selected and funded by NASA HQ.

Version history

SAM.gov has posted 2 notices under solicitation 80ARC027C0002, oldest first.

02 November 2026 — Award Notice
04 November 2026 — Justification (this page)

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Market context: NASA and NAICS 541715

About the buyer and the industry, not this specific solicitation. Source: USASpending.gov award data, updated nightly.

In fiscal year 2026, NASA obligated $1.1B across 635 contract actions under NAICS 541715.
562 contracts worth $4.4B in this category end within the next 18 months.

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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.